Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Effect of Methylphenidate on Three Forms of Response Inhibition in Boys with AD/HD

  • Published:
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The current study was aimed at (a) investigating the effect of three doses methylphenidate (MPH) and placebo on inhibition of a prepotent response, inhibition of an ongoing response, and interference control in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD), and (b) studying dose-response relations for the three forms of response inhibition. To meet these aims, the following tasks were selected: two versions of the Stop Paradigm for inhibition of a prepotent response, a Circle Tracing Task and a recently developed Follow Task for inhibition of an ongoing response, and the Stroop Color-Word Test and an Eriksen Flanker Task for interference control. These tasks were administered to 23 boys with AD/HD during four treatment conditions: 5 mg MPH, 10 mg MPH, 20 mg MPH, and placebo. A pseudorandomized, multiple-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject design was used. As hypothesized, inhibitory control in children with AD/HD improved under MPH compared to placebo. However, this effect was only significant for inhibition of a prepotent response and inhibition of an ongoing response (as measured by the Follow Task), but not for interference control. The relation between treatment condition and response was linear. However, this linear relation was due to improved inhibitory control under MPH compared to placebo, because no effects of MPH dose were observed for any of the response inhibition measures.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bachorowski, J. A., & Newman, J. P. (1985). Impulsivity in adults: Motor inhibition and time-interval estimation. Personality and Individual Differences, 6, 133-136.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bachorowski, J. A., & Newman, J. P. (1990). Impulsive motor behavior: Effects of personality and goal salience. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 512-518.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Band, G. P. H., van der Molen, M. W., & Logan, G. D. (in press). Horse-race model simulations of stopping: Good news for stop-signal reaction time but bad news for slope of the inhibition function. Acta Psychologica, xxx, xxx-xxx.

  • Barkley, R. A. (1997a). ADHD and the nature of self-control. New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barkley, R. A. (1997b). Behavioural inhibition, sustained attention, and executive functions: Constructing a unifying theory of AD/HD. Psychological Bulletin, 121, 65-94.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Carter, C. S., Krener, P., Chaderjian, M., Northcutt, C., & Wolfe, V. (1995). Abnormal processing of irrelevant information in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Psychiatry Research, 56, 59-70.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chhabildas, N., Pennington, B. F., & Willcutt, E. G. (2001). A comparison of the neuropsychological profiles of the DSM-IV subtypes of ADHD. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 29, 52-540.

    Google Scholar 

  • Douglas, V. I., Barr, R. G., Amin, K., O'Neill, M. E., & Britton, B. G. (1988). Dosage effects and individual responsivity to methylphenidate in attention deficit disorder. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 29, 453-475.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Eriksen, B. A., & Eriksen, C. W. (1974). Effects of noise letters upon the identification of a target letter in a nonsearch task. Perception and Psychophysics, 16, 143-149.

    Google Scholar 

  • Everett, J., Thomas, J., Cote, F., Levesque, J., & Michaud, D. (1991). Cognitive effects of psychostimulant medication in hyperactive children. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 22, 79-87.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Goldman, L. S., Genel, M., Bezman, R. J., & Slanetz, P. J. (1998). Diagnosis and treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. JAMA, 279, 1100-1107.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Groth-Marnat, G. (1997). Handbook of psychological assessment (3rd ed.). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Halperin, J. M., McKay, K. E., Matier, K., & Sharma, V. (1994). Attention, response inhibition, and activity level in children: Developmental neuropsychological perspectives. In M. G. Tramontana & S. R. Hooper (Eds.), Advances in child neuropsychology (Vol. 2, pp. 1-54). New York: Springer-Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hammes, J. W. G. (1971). De Stroop Kleur-Woord Test. Handleiding [The Stroop Color-Word Test: Manual]. Lisse: Swets & Zeitlinger.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hartman, C. A., Hox, J., Mellenbergh, G. J., Boyle, M. H., Offord, D. R., Racine, Y., et al. (2001). DSM-IV internal construct validity: When a taxonomy meets data. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 42, 817-836.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jonkman, L. M., Kemner, C., Verbaten, M. N., van Engeland, H., Kenemans, J. L., Camferman, G., et al. (1999). Perceptual and response interference in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and the effects of methylphenidate. Psychophysiology, 36, 419-429.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Konrad, K., Gauggel, S., Manz, A., & Schöll, M. (2000). Inhibitory control in children with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Brain Injury, 14, 859-875.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kooijmans, R., Scheres, A., & Oosterlaan, J. (2001). Response inhibition and measures of psychopathology: A dimensional analysis. Child Neuropsychology, 6, 175-184.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuntsi, J., Oosterlaan, J., & Stevenson, J. (2001). Psychological mechanisms in hyperactivity: I. Response inhibition deficit, working memory impairment, delay aversion, or something else? Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 42, 199-210.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Logan, G. D. (1994). On the ability to inhibit thought and action: A users' guide to the stop signal paradigm. In D. Dagenbach & T. H. Carr (Eds.), Inhibitory processes in attention, memory, and language (pp. 189-239). San Diego: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Logan, G. D., & Cowan, W. B. (1984). On the ability to inhibit thought and action: A theory of an act of control. Psychological Review, 91, 295-327.

    Google Scholar 

  • Logan, G. D., Schachar, R. J., & Tannock, R. (1997). Impulsivity and inhibitory control. Psychological Science, 8, 60-64.

    Google Scholar 

  • MacLeod, C. M. (1991). Half a century of research on the Stroop effect: An integrative review. Psychological Bulletin, 109, 163-203.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Manassis, K., Tannock, R., & Barbosa, J. (2000). Dichotic listening and response inhibition in children with comorbid anxiety disorders and ADHD. Journal of the American Academy for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 39, 1152-1159.

    Google Scholar 

  • McBurnett, K. (2000). Methylphenidate treatment of DSM-IV types of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. In L. L. Greenhill & B. B. Osman (Eds.), Ritalin: Theory and Practice (2nd ed.), pp. 253-263). Larchmont: Mary Ann Liebert.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morein-Zamir, S., & Meiran, N. (in press). Individual stopping times and cognitive control: Converging evidence from a new stop signal paradigm. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, xx, xxx-xxx.

  • MTA cooperative group. (1999). A 14-month randomized clinical trial of treatment strategies for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Archives of General Psychiatry, 56, 1073-1086.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nigg, J. T. (1999). The ADHD response-inhibition deficit as measured by the stop task: Replication with DSM-IV combined type, extension, and qualification. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 27, 393-402.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nigg, J. T. (2000). On inhibition/disinhibition in developmental psychopathology: Views from cognitive and personal psychology and a working inhibition taxonomy. Psychological Bulletin, 126, 1-27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nigg, J. T. (2001). Is ADHD a disinhibitory disorder? Psychological Bulletin, 127, 571-598.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Oosterlaan, J., Logan, G. D., & Sergeant, J. A. (1998). Response inhibition in AD/HD, CD, comorbid AD/HD+CD, anxious, and control children: A meta-analysis of studies with the stop task. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 39, 411-425.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Oosterlaan, J., Scheres, A., Antrop, I., Roeyers, H., & Sergeant, J. A. (2000). Vragenlijst voor Gedragsproblemen bij Kinderen (VvGK). Nederlandse bewerking van de Disruptive Behavior Disorders Rating Scale [Disruptive Behavior Disorder Rating Scale. Dutch translation of the Disruptive Behavior Disorders Rating Scale]. Lisse: Swets Test Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Osman, A., Kornblum, S., & Meyer, D. E. (1986). The point of no return in choice reaction time: Controlled and ballistic stages of response preparation. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 12, 243-258.

    Google Scholar 

  • O'Toole, K., Abramowitz, A., Morris, R., & Dulcan, M. (1997). Effects of methylphenidate on attention and nonverbal learning in children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36, 531-538.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pelham, W., Gnagy, E. M., Greenslade, K. E., & Milich, R. (1992). Teacher ratings of DSM-III-R symptoms for the disruptive behavior disorders. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 31, 210-218.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pennington, B. F., & Ozonoff, S. (1996). Executive functions and developmental psychopathology. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 37, 51-87.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Perugini, E. A., Harvey, E. A., Lovejoy, D. W., Sandstrom, K., & Webb, A. H. (2000). The predictive power of combined neuropsychological measures for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in children. Child Neuropsychology, 6, 101-114.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pliszka, S. R., Liotti, M., & Woldorff, M. G. (2000). Inhibitory control in children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Event-related potentials identify the processing component and timing of an impaired right-frontal response-inhibition mechanism. Biological Psychiatry, 48, 238-246.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rapport, M. D., & Kelly, K. L. (1991). Psychostimulant effects on learning and cognitive function: Findings and implications for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Clinical Psychology Review, 11, 61-92.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ridderinkhof, K. R., van der Molen, W., Band, G., & Bashore, T. R. (1997). Sources of interference from irrelevant information: A developmental study. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 65, 315-341.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rubia, K., Taylor, E., Smith, A. B., Oksannen, H., Overmeyer, S., & Newman, S. (2001). Neuropsychological analyses of impulsiveness in childhood hyperactivity. British Journal of Psychiatry, 179, 138-143.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schachar, R., Mota, V. L., Logan, G. D., Tannock, R., & Klim, P. (2000). Conformation of an inhibitory control deficit in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 28, 227-235.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schachar, R., & Tannock, R. (1993). Childhood hyperactivity and psychostimulants: A review of extended treatment studies. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 3, 81-97.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scheres, A., Oosterlaan, J., & Sergeant, J. A. (2001a). Response execution and inhibition in children with AD/HD and other disruptive disorders: The role of behavioural activation. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 42, 347-357.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Scheres, A., Oosterlaan, J., & Sergeant, J. A. (2001b). Response inhibition in children with DSM-IV subtypes of AD/HD and related disruptive disorders: The role of reward. Child Neuropsychology, 7, 172-191.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Seidman, L. J., Biederman, J., Mounteaux, M. C., Weber, W., & Faraone, S. V. (2000). Neuropsychological functioning in nonreferred siblings of children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 109, 252-265.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sergeant, J. A., Oosterlaan, J., & Van der Meere, J. (1999). Information processing in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. In H. C. Quay & A. E. Hogan (Eds.), Handbook of Disruptive Behavior Disorders (pp. 75-104). New York: Plenum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sergeant, J. A., & van der Meere, J. J. (2000). Ritalin: An energetic factor? In L. L. Greenhill & B. B. Osman (Eds.), Ritalin: Theory and practice, (2nd ed.), pp. 321-340). Larchmont: Mary Ann Liebert.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shaffer, D., Fisher, P., Lucas, C. P., Dulcan, M. K., & Schwab-Stone, M. E. (2000). NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children version IV (NIMH DISC-IV): Description, differences from previous versions, and reliability of some common diagnoses. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 39, 28-38.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Solanto, M. V., Abikoff, H., Sonuga-Barke, E., Schachar, R., Logan, G. D., Wigal, T., et al. (2001). The ecological validity of delay aversion and response inhibition as measures of impulsivity in AD/HD: A supplement to the NIMH multimodal treatment study of AD/HD. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 29, 215-228.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sprague, R. L., & Sleator, E. K. (1977). Methylphenidate in hyperkinetic children: Difference in dose effects on learning and social behavior. Science, 198, 1274-1276.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stroop, J. R. (1935). Studies of interference in serial verbal reactions. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 18, 643-662.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swanson, J. M., McBurnett, K., Christian, D. L., & Wigal, T. (1995). Stimulant medications and the treatment of children with ADHD. In T. H. Ollendick & R. J. Prinz (Eds.), Advances in clinical child psychology. New York: Plenum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tannock, R., Schachar, R. J., Carr, R. P., Chajczyk, D., & Logan, G. (1989). Effects of methylphenidate on inhibitory control in hyperactive children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 17, 473-491.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tannock, R., Schachar, R., & Logan, G. (1995). Methylphenidate and cognitive flexibility: Dissociated dose effects in hyperactive children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 23, 235-266.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Van der Meere, J., Gunning, B., & Stemerdink, N. (1999). The effect of methylphenidate and clonidine on response inhibition and state regulation in children with ADHD. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 40, 291-298.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wilcutt, E. G., Pennington, B. F., Boada, R., Ogline, J. S., Tunick, R. A., Chhabildas, N. A., et al. (2001). A comparison of the cognitive deficits in reading disability and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 110, 157-172.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Neuropsychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Anouk Scheres, Jaap Oosterlaan & Joseph A. Sergeant

  2. Child Development Centre, University of California at Irvine, Irvine

    James Swanson

  3. Department of Behavioral Science, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel

    Sharon Morein-Zamir & Nachson Meiran

  4. Parnassia Psychomedical Centre, The Hague, The Netherlands

    Harry Schut

  5. Department of Paediatrics, Reinier de Graaf Gasthuis, Voorburg, The Netherlands

    Laurens Vlasveld

Authors
  1. Anouk Scheres
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jaap Oosterlaan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. James Swanson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Sharon Morein-Zamir
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Nachson Meiran
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Harry Schut
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Laurens Vlasveld
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Joseph A. Sergeant
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Scheres, A., Oosterlaan, J., Swanson, J. et al. The Effect of Methylphenidate on Three Forms of Response Inhibition in Boys with AD/HD. J Abnorm Child Psychol 31, 105–120 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021729501230

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021729501230

Search

Navigation