Associations between retrospective ODD, concurrent ADHD, executive function, and frontal EEG activation in college students
- WCU Author/Contributor (non-WCU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Mykenzi Landyn Hayle Allison (Creator)
- Institution
- Western Carolina University (WCU )
- Web Site: http://library.wcu.edu/
- Advisor
- Alleyne Broomell
Abstract: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prominent disorders with five percent of children and two and a half percent of adults diagnosed. Posner’s attentional theory consists of three attentional networks: orienting to sensory stimuli, activating ideas from memory, and maintaining the alert state. Executive function (EF) has been heavily researched for its association with ADHD, specifically with inattention deficits using the attentional networks mentioned above. Inattention has been found to be closely related with struggles of academic achievement indicating the importance for intervention at an early age. The three domains of EF: response inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility have been researched using a hot and cool model. Cool executive functioning includes attention control, inhibition, and working memory associated with lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) areas. Hot executive functioning includes emotional, motivational, and reward/punishment associated with the medial PFC areas. ADHD is also highly comorbid with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) diagnosed in approximately 50% of children with ADHD. Comorbid ODD has been found to correlate with increased deficits for ADHD indicating more severe symptomology. Research has found individuals diagnosed with ADHD with or without comorbid ODD perform more poorly on cool tasks indicating ADHD is associated with cool EF. Researchers have also found ODD with or without comorbid ADHD is associated with hot EF. The electroencephalogram (EEG) is an objective measure of electrical activity in the brain using electrodes placed on the scalp. EEG spectral power has been found to be the best predictor for distinguishing ADHD, although different frequency bands have been associated with ADHD when comparing children and adults. The alpha band (8-12Hz) was used in this study, as it has been shown to have reduced power in the lower alpha band and elevated power in the upper band for adults. The current study aimed to determine the predictive power of EF and change in EEG power for concurrent ADHD and retrospective ODD symptomology in college students, as well as group differences in change in power across an ADHD+ODD, ADHD alone, and control group. Analyses determined positive correlations between the three self-reports for ADHD and ODD symptomology as well as EF abilities. Regression analyses were also significant, which indicated ADHD symptomology was predicted by EF ability and change scores of EEG mean power in F3 and F4 electrodes for the alpha band. When comparing group differences for change in EEG, I found the three groups to have no significant difference in change in EEG power. These results illustrate the utility and predictive power EEG has when distinguishing ADHD symptomology. EEG could be used as an objective diagnostic tool to give clinicians more insight to be able to make an informed decision for possible diagnoses.
Associations between retrospective ODD, concurrent ADHD, executive function, and frontal EEG activation in college students
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Created on 4/1/2023
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Thesis
- Language: English
- Date: 2023
- Keywords
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Electroencephalogram, Executive Function, Oppositional Defiant Disorder
- Subjects
- Comorbidity
- Oppositional defiant disorder in adolescence
- Executive functions (Neuropsychology)
- Electroencephalography
- Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder