Abstract
BACKGROUND: Both theoretical and clinical accounts of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) implicate a dysfunctional reinforcement system. This study investigated heart rate parameters in response to feedback associated with reward and response cost in ADHD children and controls aged 8 to 12.
METHODS: Heart rate responses (HRRs) following feedback and heart rate variability (HRV) in the low frequency band (.04-.08 Hz), a measure of mental effort, were calculated during a time production paradigm. Performance was coupled to monetary gain, loss or feedback-only in a cross-over design.
RESULTS: Children with ADHD exhibited smaller HRRs to feedback compared to controls. HRV of children with ADHD decreased when performance was coupled to reward or response cost compared to feedback-only. HRV of controls was similar across conditions.
CONCLUSIONS: Children with ADHD were characterised by (a) possible abnormalities in feedback monitoring and (b) motivational deficits, when no external reinforcement is present.
| Original language | Undefined/Unknown |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 890-898 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry |
| Volume | 48 |
| Issue number | 9 |
| Publication status | Published - 2007 |
| Externally published | Yes |