Neurocognitive characteristics of youth with noncomorbid and comorbid forms of conduct disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Andrea L Glenn; Rheanna J Remmel; Min Yee Ong; Nikki S J Lim; Rebecca P Ang; A Hunter Threadgill; Nicole Ryerson; Adrian Raine; Daniel Fung; Yoon Phaik Ooi

doi:10.1016/j.comppsych.2017.06.005

Neurocognitive characteristics of youth with noncomorbid and comorbid forms of conduct disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Compr Psychiatry. 2017 Aug:77:60-70. doi: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2017.06.005. Epub 2017 Jun 8.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Center for the Prevention of Youth Behavior Problems, Department of Psychology, University of Alabama, USA. Electronic address: alglenn1@ua.edu.
² Center for the Prevention of Youth Behavior Problems, Department of Psychology, University of Alabama, USA.
³ Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (A*STAR), Singapore.
⁴ Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore.
⁵ Psychological Studies, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
⁶ Department of Psychology, University of Alabama, USA.
⁷ Department of Criminology, University of Pennsylvania, USA.
⁸ Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore; Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Switzerland.

PMID: 28636895
DOI: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2017.06.005

Abstract

Objective: Studies investigating neurocognitive deficits in youth with conduct disorder (CD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are often confounded by the high rates of comorbidity between the two.

Method: Neurocognitive functioning was examined in three diagnostic groups (ADHD only, CD only, comorbid ADHD and CD) matched by age, sex, IQ, and medication status (n=28-32 per group).

Results: No significant differences emerged between the diagnostic groups on measures of risk-taking or response inhibition. Children with CD performed better on a measure of spatial planning than those with comorbid ADHD and CD, and dimensional analyses in the full sample (n=265) revealed a small association between ADHD symptoms and poorer spatial planning.

Conclusion: These results suggest that deficits in spatial planning may be more pronounced in individuals with ADHD, but that the neurocognitive functioning of youth with noncomorbid and comorbid CD and ADHD are largely similar.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / psychology*
Child
Cognition*
Comorbidity
Conduct Disorder / psychology*
Female
Humans
Inhibition, Psychological
Male
Mental Status and Dementia Tests
Risk-Taking
Spatial Behavior