High IQ May "Mask" the Diagnosis of ADHD by Compensating for Deficits in Executive Functions in Treatment-Naive Adults With ADHD

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Vidal Milioni, Ana Luiza ; Chaim, Tiffany Moukbel ; Cavallet, Mikael ; de Oliveira, Nathalya Moleda ; Annes, Marco ; dos Santos, Bernardo ; Louza, Mario ; da Silva, Maria Aparecida ; Miguel, Carmen Silvia ; Serpa, Mauricio Henriques ; Zanetti, Marcus V. ; Busatto, Geraldo ; Cunha, Paulo Jannuzzi

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: JOURNAL OF ATTENTION DISORDERS; v. 21, n. 6, p. 10-pg., 2017-04-01.

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate and compare the performance of adults with ADHD with high and standard IQ in executive functions (EF) tasks. Method: We investigated the neuropsychological performance of 51 adults with ADHD, compared with 33 healthy controls (HC) while performing a wide battery of neuropsychological tests that measure executive functioning. Adults with clinical diagnosis of ADHD were divided into two groups according to their IQ level (IQ >= 110-ADHD group with more elevated IQ, and IQ < 110-ADHD group with standard IQ). Results: The ADHD group with standard IQ presented a worse executive functioning compared with the HC group in the following measures: Stroop 2 (p = .000) and 3 (p = .000), Trail Making Test (TMT) B (p = .005), Wisconsin Card-Sorting Test (WCST)-perseverative errors (p = .022) and failures to maintain set (p = .020), Continuous Performance Test (CPT)-omission errors (p = .005) and commission errors (p =.000), and Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB)-conceptualization (p = .016). The ADHD group with more elevated IQ presented only impairments in the CPT-commission errors (p = .019) when compared with the control group. Conclusion: Adults with ADHD and more elevated IQ show less evidence of executive functioning deficits compared with those with ADHD and standard IQ, suggesting that a higher degree of intellectual efficiency may compensate deficits in executive functions, leading to problems in establishing a precise clinical diagnosis. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 10/15604-0 - White matter integrity of the corpus callosum and neuropsychological performance in maltreated children and adolescents: a brain morphometric and diffusion tensor imaging study
• Grantee: Paulo Jannuzzi Cunha
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 10/15786-1 - White matter integrity of the corpus callosum and neuropsychological performance in maltreated children and adolescents: a brain morphometric and diffusion tensor imaging study
• Grantee: Geraldo Busatto Filho
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants