Cue-Dependent Inhibition in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Publication date: Available online 9 August 2017
Source:Journal of Anxiety Disorders
Author(s): Zachary W. Adams, Michael Meinzer, Howard Mandel, Joshua Voltin, Blaine Caughron, Floyd R. Sallee, Mark Hamner, Zhewu Wang
ObjectiveAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are common among military veterans, but the comorbidity of these two psychiatric disorders remains largely unstudied. Evaluating response inhibition and cue-dependent learning as behavioral and neurocognitive mechanisms underlying ADHD/PTSD can inform etiological models and development of tailored interventions.MethodA cued go/no-go task evaluated response inhibition in 160 adult males. Participants were recruited from the community and a Veterans Administration medical center. Four diagnostic groups were identified: ADHD-only, PTSD-only, ADHD+PTSD, controls.ResultsGroup differences were observed across most indices of inhibitory functioning, reaction time, and reaction time variability, whereby PTSD-only and ADHD+PTSD participants demonstrated deficits relative to controls. No cue dependency effects were observed.ConclusionFinding complement prior work on neurocognitive mechanisms underlying ADHD, PTSD, and ADHD+PTSD. Lack of expected group differences for the ADHD-only group may be due to limited power. Additional work is needed to better characterize distinctions among clinical groups, as well as to test effects among women and youth.



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