Premium
Investigation of cool and hot executive function in ODD/CD independently of ADHD
Author(s) -
Hobson Christopher W.,
Scott Stephen,
Rubia Katya
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of child psychology and psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.652
H-Index - 211
eISSN - 1469-7610
pISSN - 0021-9630
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2011.02454.x
Subject(s) - psychology , executive functions , cognitive flexibility , cognition , conduct disorder , neuropsychology , attention deficit hyperactivity disorder , iowa gambling task , developmental psychology , task (project management) , executive dysfunction , clinical psychology , audiology , flexibility (engineering) , psychiatry , medicine , statistics , mathematics , management , economics
Background: Children with oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder (ODD/CD) have shown deficits in ‘cool’ abstract‐cognitive, and ‘hot’ reward‐related executive function (EF) tasks. However, it is currently unclear to what extent ODD/CD is associated with neuropsychological deficits, independently of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methods: Fifty‐nine adolescents with a history of early‐onset oppositional problems, 28 with pure ODD/CD symptoms and 31 with ADHD with or without ODD/CD, and 34 healthy controls were administered a task battery measuring motor response inhibition, sustained attention, cognitive flexibility and reward‐related decision‐making. Findings were analysed using dimensional and group analyses. Results: In group analyses both groups with and without ADHD were impaired in EF measures. Dimensional analyses, however, showed that ODD/CD but not ADHD was related to hot EF based on increased risky decision‐making in the Iowa Gambling Task. ODD/CD was also independently related to aspects of cool EF independently of ADHD, namely slower speeds of inhibitory responding and increased intra‐subject variability. Conclusions: These findings show EF deficits associated with ODD/CD independently of ADHD, and implicate reward‐related abnormalities in theories of antisocial behaviour development.