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Cardiac Reactivity and Stimulant Use in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders with Comorbid ADHD Versus ADHD

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Abstract

A large number of youngsters with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) display comorbid attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. However, previous studies are not conclusive whether psychophysiological correlates, like cardiac reactivity, are different for ASD with comorbid ADHD (ASD+) compared to ADHD. Therefore, the current study investigated (dis)similarities in cardiac reactivity and attention task performance. In a clinical sample, adolescents diagnosed with ASD+ (n = 20) versus ADHD (n = 36) and stimulant medication use (56 %) were compared during a baseline with eyes closed and task performance. Results for cardiac reactivity were similar for both diagnostic groups. Stimulant-medicated adolescents showed decreased adaptation of LF/HF ratio and faster reaction times than stimulant-free adolescents. The current study underlines the psychophysiological overlap of ADHD symptoms in adolescents with ASD+ and adolescents with ADHD.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Carlijn Berghout, Marilyn Peeters, Thomas Widdershoven and the students and research assistants for their valuable support as well as all participating adolescents and families for their contribution and persistence. This study is part of a larger intervention study for adolescents with ADHD-features, which is registered in the Dutch trial register (www.trialregister.nl Ref. No.: NTR1759). This study is funded by The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMw number 157 002 004).

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Bink, M., Popma, A., Bongers, I.L. et al. Cardiac Reactivity and Stimulant Use in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders with Comorbid ADHD Versus ADHD. J Autism Dev Disord 45, 481–494 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-013-1929-1

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