Processing of Continuously Provided Punishment and Reward in Children with ADHD and the Modulating Effects of Stimulant Medication: An ERP Study

Yvonne Groen; Oliver Tucha; Albertus A. Wijers; Monika Althaus

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0059240

Processing of Continuously Provided Punishment and Reward in Children with ADHD and the Modulating Effects of Stimulant Medication: An ERP Study

Yvonne Groen^*, Oliver Tucha, Albertus A. Wijers, Monika Althaus

^*Corresponding author for this work

Experimental Psychology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

16 Citations (Scopus)

312 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Objectives: Current models of ADHD suggest abnormal reward and punishment sensitivity, but the exact mechanisms are unclear. This study aims to investigate effects of continuous reward and punishment on the processing of performance feedback in children with ADHD and the modulating effects of stimulant medication.

Methods: 15 Methylphenidate (Mph)-treated and 15 Mph-free children of the ADHD-combined type and 17 control children performed a selective attention task with three feedback conditions: no-feedback, gain and loss. Event Related Potentials (ERPs) time-locked to feedback and errors were computed.

Results: All groups performed more accurately with gain and loss than without feedback. Feedback-related ERPs demonstrated no group differences in the feedback P2, but an enhanced late positive potential (LPP) to feedback stimuli (both gains and losses) for Mph-free children with ADHD compared to controls. Feedback-related ERPs in Mph-treated children with ADHD were similar to controls. Correlational analyses in the ADHD groups revealed that the severity of inattention problems correlated negatively with the feedback P2 amplitude and positively with the LPP to losses and omitted gains.

Conclusions: The early selective attention for rewarding and punishing feedback was relatively intact in children with ADHD, but the late feedback processing was deviant (increased feedback LPP). This may explain the often observed positive effects of continuous reinforcement on performance and behaviour in children with ADHD. However, these group findings cannot be generalised to all individuals with the ADHD, because the feedback-related ERPs were associated with the severity of the inattention problems. Children with ADHD-combined type with more inattention problems showed both deviant early attentional selection of feedback stimuli, and deviant late processing of non-reward and punishment.

Original language	English
Article number	e59240
Number of pages	14
Journal	PLoS ONE
Volume	8
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0059240
Publication status	Published - 21-Mar-2013

Keywords

ATTENTION-DEFICIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER
MEDIAL FRONTAL-CORTEX
DEFICIT-HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER
EVENT-RELATED POTENTIALS
COGNITIVE-ENERGETIC MODEL
EVOKED HEART-RATE
BRAIN POTENTIALS
DIAGNOSTIC INTERVIEW
RESPONSE COST
FEEDBACK

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1 Attending an event
1 Professional or public presentation
1 Academic presentation

Expert meeting on 'Error and feedback processing in ADHD'
Yvonne Groen (Keynote speaker)
17-Dec-2014
Activity: Talk and presentation › Professional or public presentation › Professional
3rd International Congress on ADHD - From Childhood to Adult Disease
Yvonne Groen (Attendee)
May-2011
Activity: Organising and attending an event › Attending an event › Academic
22nd Eunethydis meeting: the next 10 years
Yvonne Groen (Invited speaker)
1-Oct-2011
Activity: Talk and presentation › Academic presentation › Academic

Cite this

@article{893602d29c0a4526be1bf3199962d1f1,

title = "Processing of Continuously Provided Punishment and Reward in Children with ADHD and the Modulating Effects of Stimulant Medication: An ERP Study",

abstract = "Objectives: Current models of ADHD suggest abnormal reward and punishment sensitivity, but the exact mechanisms are unclear. This study aims to investigate effects of continuous reward and punishment on the processing of performance feedback in children with ADHD and the modulating effects of stimulant medication.Methods: 15 Methylphenidate (Mph)-treated and 15 Mph-free children of the ADHD-combined type and 17 control children performed a selective attention task with three feedback conditions: no-feedback, gain and loss. Event Related Potentials (ERPs) time-locked to feedback and errors were computed.Results: All groups performed more accurately with gain and loss than without feedback. Feedback-related ERPs demonstrated no group differences in the feedback P2, but an enhanced late positive potential (LPP) to feedback stimuli (both gains and losses) for Mph-free children with ADHD compared to controls. Feedback-related ERPs in Mph-treated children with ADHD were similar to controls. Correlational analyses in the ADHD groups revealed that the severity of inattention problems correlated negatively with the feedback P2 amplitude and positively with the LPP to losses and omitted gains.Conclusions: The early selective attention for rewarding and punishing feedback was relatively intact in children with ADHD, but the late feedback processing was deviant (increased feedback LPP). This may explain the often observed positive effects of continuous reinforcement on performance and behaviour in children with ADHD. However, these group findings cannot be generalised to all individuals with the ADHD, because the feedback-related ERPs were associated with the severity of the inattention problems. Children with ADHD-combined type with more inattention problems showed both deviant early attentional selection of feedback stimuli, and deviant late processing of non-reward and punishment.",

keywords = "ATTENTION-DEFICIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER, MEDIAL FRONTAL-CORTEX, DEFICIT-HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER, EVENT-RELATED POTENTIALS, COGNITIVE-ENERGETIC MODEL, EVOKED HEART-RATE, BRAIN POTENTIALS, DIAGNOSTIC INTERVIEW, RESPONSE COST, FEEDBACK",

author = "Yvonne Groen and Oliver Tucha and Wijers, {Albertus A.} and Monika Althaus",

year = "2013",

month = mar,

day = "21",

doi = "10.1371/journal.pone.0059240",

language = "English",

volume = "8",

journal = "PLoS ONE",

issn = "1932-6203",

publisher = "PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE",

number = "3",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Processing of Continuously Provided Punishment and Reward in Children with ADHD and the Modulating Effects of Stimulant Medication

T2 - An ERP Study

AU - Groen, Yvonne

AU - Tucha, Oliver

AU - Wijers, Albertus A.

AU - Althaus, Monika

PY - 2013/3/21

Y1 - 2013/3/21

N2 - Objectives: Current models of ADHD suggest abnormal reward and punishment sensitivity, but the exact mechanisms are unclear. This study aims to investigate effects of continuous reward and punishment on the processing of performance feedback in children with ADHD and the modulating effects of stimulant medication.Methods: 15 Methylphenidate (Mph)-treated and 15 Mph-free children of the ADHD-combined type and 17 control children performed a selective attention task with three feedback conditions: no-feedback, gain and loss. Event Related Potentials (ERPs) time-locked to feedback and errors were computed.Results: All groups performed more accurately with gain and loss than without feedback. Feedback-related ERPs demonstrated no group differences in the feedback P2, but an enhanced late positive potential (LPP) to feedback stimuli (both gains and losses) for Mph-free children with ADHD compared to controls. Feedback-related ERPs in Mph-treated children with ADHD were similar to controls. Correlational analyses in the ADHD groups revealed that the severity of inattention problems correlated negatively with the feedback P2 amplitude and positively with the LPP to losses and omitted gains.Conclusions: The early selective attention for rewarding and punishing feedback was relatively intact in children with ADHD, but the late feedback processing was deviant (increased feedback LPP). This may explain the often observed positive effects of continuous reinforcement on performance and behaviour in children with ADHD. However, these group findings cannot be generalised to all individuals with the ADHD, because the feedback-related ERPs were associated with the severity of the inattention problems. Children with ADHD-combined type with more inattention problems showed both deviant early attentional selection of feedback stimuli, and deviant late processing of non-reward and punishment.

AB - Objectives: Current models of ADHD suggest abnormal reward and punishment sensitivity, but the exact mechanisms are unclear. This study aims to investigate effects of continuous reward and punishment on the processing of performance feedback in children with ADHD and the modulating effects of stimulant medication.Methods: 15 Methylphenidate (Mph)-treated and 15 Mph-free children of the ADHD-combined type and 17 control children performed a selective attention task with three feedback conditions: no-feedback, gain and loss. Event Related Potentials (ERPs) time-locked to feedback and errors were computed.Results: All groups performed more accurately with gain and loss than without feedback. Feedback-related ERPs demonstrated no group differences in the feedback P2, but an enhanced late positive potential (LPP) to feedback stimuli (both gains and losses) for Mph-free children with ADHD compared to controls. Feedback-related ERPs in Mph-treated children with ADHD were similar to controls. Correlational analyses in the ADHD groups revealed that the severity of inattention problems correlated negatively with the feedback P2 amplitude and positively with the LPP to losses and omitted gains.Conclusions: The early selective attention for rewarding and punishing feedback was relatively intact in children with ADHD, but the late feedback processing was deviant (increased feedback LPP). This may explain the often observed positive effects of continuous reinforcement on performance and behaviour in children with ADHD. However, these group findings cannot be generalised to all individuals with the ADHD, because the feedback-related ERPs were associated with the severity of the inattention problems. Children with ADHD-combined type with more inattention problems showed both deviant early attentional selection of feedback stimuli, and deviant late processing of non-reward and punishment.

KW - ATTENTION-DEFICIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER

KW - MEDIAL FRONTAL-CORTEX

KW - DEFICIT-HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER

KW - EVENT-RELATED POTENTIALS

KW - COGNITIVE-ENERGETIC MODEL

KW - EVOKED HEART-RATE

KW - BRAIN POTENTIALS

KW - DIAGNOSTIC INTERVIEW

KW - RESPONSE COST

KW - FEEDBACK

U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0059240

DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0059240

M3 - Article

C2 - 23555639

SN - 1932-6203

VL - 8

JO - PLoS ONE

JF - PLoS ONE

IS - 3

M1 - e59240

ER -

Processing of Continuously Provided Punishment and Reward in Children with ADHD and the Modulating Effects of Stimulant Medication: An ERP Study

Abstract

Keywords

Access to Document

Handle.net

Activities

Expert meeting on 'Error and feedback processing in ADHD'

3rd International Congress on ADHD - From Childhood to Adult Disease

22nd Eunethydis meeting: the next 10 years

Cite this