Electrophysiological correlates of reading in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Abstract

Aims. To investigate whether or not the deficits in executive functions in the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affect reading comprehension and identify a potential biological marker of this neuropsychological endophenotype through event-related potentials (ERP). The phenotypic association between reading comprehension and the specific functions of inhibition and working memory is studied. Subjects and methods. The sample consisted of 52 children with ADHD (8-13 years) divided in two groups according to the presence (TDAH–; n = 27; percentile < 30) or the absence (TDAH+; n = 25; percentile > 50) of reading comprehension deficits and a control group (n = 27). The executive functions were evaluated. The ERPs were assessed during a task in which anaphoric sentences of different lengths were presented, recording the ERP in the last adjective of the sentence that required a gender agreement. Results. Working memory and inhibition were associated to reading comprehension performance. The ADHD+ group and the control group seem to detect the disagreement at 100 ms, while the ADHD– group does not activate its working memory until 250 ms. Conclusions. The delay in the implementation o