Cognitive variability in adults with ADHD and AS: Disentangling the roles of executive functions and social cognition

• Autores: González Gadea, María Luz; Báez Buitrago, Sandra Jimena; Torralva, Teresa; Castellanos, Francisco Xavier; Rattazzi, Alexia; Bein, Victoria; Rogg, Katharina; Manes, Facundo Francisco; Ibañez, Agustin Mariano
• Año de publicación: 2013
• Idioma: inglés
• Tipo de recurso: artículo
• Materia: Asperger Syndrome; Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; Cognitive Heterogeneity; Executive Functions; Inter-Individual Variability; Social Cognition; Theory of Mind
• Institución: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Asperger's Syndrome (AS) share a heterogeneous cognitive profile. Studies assessing executive functions (EF) and social cognition in both groups have found preserved and impaired performances. These inconsistent findings would be partially explained by the cognitive variability reported in these disorders. First, the present study explored the inter-individual variability in EF and social cognition in both patient groups. Second, we compared differential characteristics and commonalities in the cognitive profiles of EF and social cognition between ADHD, AS and control adults. We assessed 22 patients with ADHD, 23 adults with AS and 21 matched typically developing subjects using different measures of EF (working memory, cognitive flexibility and multitasking) and social cognition (theory of mind and decision-making). Group comparisons and multiple case series analyses (MCSA) were conducted. The between-group comparisons showed an EF deficit in working memory in ADHD and a theory of mind (ToM) impairment in AS. The MCSA evidenced that, compared to controls, ADHD patients had a higher inter-individual variability in EF, while individuals with AS had a more heterogeneous profile in social cognition tasks compared to both groups. Finally, the AS and ADHD groups presented higher task-related variability compared to controls and shared a common heterogeneous profile in EF. This is the first study to compare variability in EF and social cognition profiles of ADHD and AS. We propose that heterogeneity in EF performance is a link between ADHD and AS which may explain the overlap of symptomatology between both diagnoses. In addition, patients with AS seem to show a unique heterogeneous profile in ToM which may explain the low probability of finding AS symptoms in patients with ADHD.
Fil: González Gadea, María Luz. Instituto de Neurología Cognitiva; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina
Fil: Báez Buitrago, Sandra Jimena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Instituto de Neurología Cognitiva; Argentina
Fil: Torralva, Teresa. Instituto de Neurología Cognitiva; Argentina. Universidad Favaloro. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Neurociencias; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina
Fil: Castellanos, Francisco Xavier. NYU Langone Medical Center Child Study Center; Estados Unidos. Nathan Kline Institute; Estados Unidos
Fil: Rattazzi, Alexia. Programa Argentino para Niños, Adolescentes y Adultos con Condiciones del Espectro Autista; Argentina
Fil: Bein, Victoria. Programa Argentino para Niños, Adolescentes y Adultos con Condiciones del Espectro Autista; Argentina
Fil: Rogg, Katharina. Universität Würzburg; Alemania
Fil: Manes, Facundo Francisco. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Favaloro. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Neurociencias; Argentina. Universidad Favaloro; Argentina
Fil: Ibáñez Barassi, Agustín Mariano. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Instituto de Neurología Cognitiva; Argentina. Universidad Diego Portales; Chile. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas; Argentina