ERP correlates of interference and inhibitory control in adults with high and low-level subclinical ADHD symptoms

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by elevated rates of inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity in child and adult populations. ADHD research has identified a specific link between ADHD diagnosis and impairment in the executive functions of attention, specifically within interference and inhibitory control. The current study aimed to enhance the existing body of literature by observing an adult sample with high and low subclinical levels of ADHD symptomology, a deviation from the established child-dominant, clinically diagnosed samples. The current study incorporated the use of electroencephalography (EEG) to record and compare the neural and behavioural correlates of individuals during engagement in a novel hybrid Flanker Go/NoGo task aimed at eliciting interference and inhibitory control processes simultaneously. High and low ADHD symptom groups were established on the basis of Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) v1.1 scores and compared across the behavioural variables of reaction time and accuracy. Neural differences were recorded across the frontal FZ and FCz electrodes with the N2 EEG component used as the neurological measure of interference and inhibitory control. Results identified no statistically significant differences across high and low ADHD symptom groups in behavioural or neural correlates. The findings of the current study were inconsistent with prior child and male-dominated research, indicating future investigations may benefit from further exploring the neural and behavioural correlates of adult and female ADHD presentations.