Glenn AL, Remmel RJ, Ong MY, Lim NSJ, Ang RP, Threadgill AH, Ryerson NC, Raine A, Fung D, Ooi YP. Compr. Psychiatry 2017; 77: 60-70.
Affiliation
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore; Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Switzerland.
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.