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Working memory deficits can be overcome: Impacts of training and medication on working memory in children with ADHD
Author(s) -
Holmes Joni,
Gathercole Susan E.,
Place Maurice,
Dunning Darren L.,
Hilton Kerry A.,
Elliott Julian G.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
applied cognitive psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.719
H-Index - 100
eISSN - 1099-0720
pISSN - 0888-4080
DOI - 10.1002/acp.1589
Subject(s) - working memory training , working memory , stimulant , psychology , intervention (counseling) , attention deficit hyperactivity disorder , psychological intervention , cognitive training , clinical psychology , audiology , psychiatry , cognition , developmental psychology , medicine
This study evaluated the impact of two interventions—a training program and stimulant medication—on working memory (WM) function in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Twenty‐five children aged between 8 and 11 years participated in training that taxed WM skills to the limit for a minimum of 20 days, and completed other assessments of WM and IQ before and after training, and with and without prescribed drug treatment. While medication significantly improved visuo‐spatial memory performance, training led to substantial gains in all components of WM across untrained tasks. Training gains associated with the central executive persisted over a 6‐month period. IQ scores were unaffected by either intervention. These findings indicate that the WM impairments in children with ADHD can be differentially ameliorated by training and by stimulant medication. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.