Frontal lobe functioning in boys with attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder

Abstract

Prior attempts to relate attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to frontal lobe dysfunction have yielded mixed results. The present study attempted to minimize several methodological problems that may have contributed to these inconsistencies. A relatively large sample of rigorously defined ADHD boys (n = 66) and controls (n = 64) at two different age levels were administered a battery of neuro‐psychological tests sensitive to frontal damage in adults. ADHD boys were inferior to controls on a Vigilance task, Stroop, FAS, Rey‐Osterrieth Complex Figure, and Porteus Mazes. The groups did not differ on Trail Making or on aspects of Wisconsin Card Sorting sensitive to cognitive flexibility. ADHD boys and controls were comparable on several control tasks. Both groups showed a developmental advance in skills implicating prefrontal cortex between ages 6 to 8 and ages 9 to 11, but the relative deficit of the ADHD children appeared stable during this period. It is suggested that a longitudinal study would assist the interpretation of resemblances and differences between ADHD boys and adults with known frontal lobe impairment.