Address for correspondence: Carol L. Armstrong, Ph.D., Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Main A232, 34th and Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104. Voice: 215-590-1709; fax: 215-590-1982.
armstrongc{at}email.chop.edu
The critical neurocognitive components of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD) remain controversial, despite extensive research
to disclose the essential cognitive components of this disorder.
We propose to organize this research into three types of cognitive
mechanisms while demonstrating the consistencies and inconsistencies
in each: studies of response inhibition, of executive function,
and of attentional inhibition. We also present the results of
cluster analyses of a group (
n = 25) of narrowly selected adult
patients with childhood onset of ADHD, reveal three subtypes
of ADHD, and argue that the only evidence of a general cognitive
deficit is found in tests of selective attention. Finally, we
provide the results of exploratory studies of selective attention
for perception and for semantic memories. The data suggest that
the cognitive disinhibition of ADHD is found in semantic recognition,
but not in visuoperceptual recognition.
