Neuropsychological and Electrophysiological Assessment of Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

The present study evaluated the neuropsychological performance of adults with and without Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) during the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test: Computerized Version 3 (WCST), and the Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test (IVA). The quantitative electroencephalograph (QEEG) was also collected during task performance to examine possible difference in cortical activity between groups and tasks. Results suggest that adults with ADHD demonstrate lower levels of performance on neuropsychological tasks that involve working memory, processing speed, and sustained attention, namely the PASAT and IVA. Furthermore, adult ADHD appears to be characterized by different neurophysiological markers than childhood ADHD and these markers vary according to the neuropsychological task being performed. In general, adults with ADHD demonstrate a QEEG pattern characterized by higher levels of high alpha during the tasks that differentiated their performance from controls, specifically the PASAT and IVA.