Abstract
Objective: To characterize heterogeneity in adults with ADHD we aimed to identify subgroups within the adult ADHD spectrum, which differ in their cognitive profile. Method: Neuropsychological data from adults with ADHD (n = 133) and healthy control participants (n = 132) were used in a confirmatory factor analysis. The resulting six cognitive factors were correlated across participants to form networks. We used a community detection algorithm to cluster these networks into subgroups. Results: Both the ADHD and control group separated into three profiles that differed in cognitive performance. Profile 1 was characterized by aberrant attention and inhibition, profile 2 by increased delay discounting, and profile 3 by atypical working memory and verbal fluency. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that qualitative differences in neuropsychological performance exist in both control and ADHD adult individuals. This extends prior findings in children with and without ADHD and provides a framework to parse participants into well-defined subgroups.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 281-292 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Journal of Attention Disorders |
Volume | 22 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Feb 2018 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- adult ADHD
- delay discounting
- executive functions
- heterogeneity
- neuropsychology