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OADES, R. D. (2000). Differential measures of sustained attention in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity or tic disorders: relationship to monoamine metabolism. Psychiatry Research, 93, 165-178. - - ( request a copy) In accord with our understanding of journal policy,
we present the pre-publication
text (view). Introduction: Controversy exists on whether the constructs related to sustained attention and tested by paper/pencil tasks and computerized continuous-performance-tests (CPT) are similar, and whether the deficits recorded in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms (ADHD) using these different forms of testing information processing are comparable. Methods: Signal-detection measures (d-prime and beta-criterion) and type of error were recorded on four such tests of 'sustained attention', with increasing working-memory requirements (respond to 'x', respond to 'x' only after 'a') in healthy children (n = 14, mean 10 years of age), and those with ADHD (n = 14, mean 10 years of age) or a tic syndrome (TS, n = 11, mean 11 years of age). Clinical associations were sought from 24h-urinary measures of monoamine activity (parent amines and metabolites), - dopamine (DA), HVA, noradrenaline (NA), MHPG, serotonin (5-HT), 5-HIAA. Results: Conclusions: CPT tasks demonstrated a perceptual-based impairment in ADHD and response conservatism in TS patients independent of difficulty. Catecholamine activity was implicated in the promotion of perceptual processing in normal and ADHD children, but serotonin activity may contribute to poor CPTax performance (emphasis on working-memory function) in ADHD patients. |