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European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience

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01-10-2013 | Original Paper

Brain activation deficit in increased-load working memory tasks among adults with ADHD using fMRI

Authors: Chih-Hung Ko, Ju-Yu Yen, Cheng-Fang Yen, Cheng-Sheng Chen, Wei-Chen Lin, Peng-Wei Wang, Gin-Chung Liu

Published in: European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience | Issue 7/2013

Abstract

Working memory (WM) is impaired among adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study aimed to investigate the brain activation deficit for low-level or increased-load WM among adults with ADHD. A total of 20 adults with ADHD and controls were recruited according to diagnostic interviewing by a psychiatrist. Phonological and visual–spatial 2-back and 3-back tasks were performed under functional magnetic resonance scanning. The results demonstrated that both the adults with ADHD and the controls exhibited activation of the fronto-parietal network for WM, and the intensity was greater in the adult ADHD group. The ADHD group had higher brain activation over the bilateral anterior cingulate, left inferior frontal lobe, hippocampus, and supplementary motor area (SMA) for phonological WM than the control group. When the task loading increased from 2-back to 3-back tasks, the adults with ADHD perceived greater difficulty. The control group exhibited increased brain activation over the frontal–parietal network in response to increased phonological WM load. However, the ADHD group showed decreased brain activation over the left precuneus, insula, and SMA. Further analysis demonstrated that the ADHD group exhibited a greater decrease in brain activation over the left fronto-parietal network, including the precuneus, SMA, insula/inferior frontal lobe, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, than the control group. These results suggest that adults with ADHD pay more effort to low demanding phonological WM. On the other hand, brain activation of the left fronto-parietal network is impaired when the demands of WM exceed the capacity of adults with ADHD.

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Title: Brain activation deficit in increased-load working memory tasks among adults with ADHD using fMRI
Authors: Chih-Hung Ko
Ju-Yu Yen
Cheng-Fang Yen
Cheng-Sheng Chen
Wei-Chen Lin
Peng-Wei Wang
Gin-Chung Liu
Publication date: 01-10-2013
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in: European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience / Issue 7/2013
Print ISSN: 0940-1334
Electronic ISSN: 1433-8491
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-013-0407-2

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Brain activation deficit in increased-load working memory tasks among adults with ADHD using fMRI

Abstract

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Abstract

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