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IMPAIRED EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING IN PEDIATRIC TRICHOTILLOMANIA (HAIR PULLING DISORDER)
Author(s) -
Flessner Christopher A.,
Brennan Elle,
Murphy Yolanda E.,
Francazio Sarah
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
depression and anxiety
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.634
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1520-6394
pISSN - 1091-4269
DOI - 10.1002/da.22450
Subject(s) - neurocognitive , cognitive flexibility , working memory , psychology , executive dysfunction , executive functions , flexibility (engineering) , psycinfo , cambridge neuropsychological test automated battery , cognition , memory span , clinical psychology , spatial memory , developmental psychology , psychiatry , neuropsychology , medline , statistics , mathematics , political science , law
Background No neurocognitive examinations of pediatric trichotillomania (hair pulling disorder; HPD) have taken place. As a result, science's understanding of the underlying pathophysiology associated with HPD in youths is greatly lacking. The present study seeks to begin to address this gap in the literature via examination of executive functioning in a stimulant‐free sample of children with HPD. Methods Sixteen and 23 children between 9 and 17 years of age meeting DSM‐5 diagnostic criteria for HPD or classified as a healthy control, respectively, were recruited ( N = 39) to complete structured interviews, self‐reports, and a subset of tests from the Cambridge Automatic Neurocognitive Test Assessment Battery (CANTAB) assessing cognitive flexibility/reversal learning (intradimensional/extradimensional; IED), working memory (spatial span; SSP), and planning and organization (Stocking of Cambridge; SOC). Results Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that, after controlling for appropriate covariates, diagnostic status predicted impaired performance on both the IED (reversal learning only) and SOC (planning and organization) but failed to predict cognitive flexibility or working memory capacity. Correlational analyses revealed that pulling severity was strongly related to working memory capacity, while disparate relationships between pulling styles (automatic, focused pulling) were evident with respect to working memory and planning and organization. Conclusions Children with HPD performed more poorly on tasks of executive functioning as compared to controls. Correlational analyses suggest potentially distinct pathophysiology underlying automatic and focused pulling warranting further research. Limitations and future areas of inquiry are discussed.