Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Is emotion recognition the only problem in ADHD? effects of pharmacotherapy on face and emotion recognition in children with ADHD

  • Original Article
  • Published:
ADHD Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders

A Correction to this article was published on 21 December 2017

This article has been updated

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to evaluate both face and emotion recognition, to detect differences among attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) subgroups, to identify effects of the gender and to assess the effects of methylphenidate and atomoxetine treatment on both face and emotion recognition in patients with ADHD. The study sample consisted of 41 male, 29 female patients, 8–15 years of age, who were diagnosed as having combined type ADHD (N = 26), hyperactive/impulsive type ADHD (N = 21) or inattentive type ADHD (N = 23) but had not previously used any medication for ADHD and 35 male, 25 female healthy individuals. Long-acting methylphenidate (OROS-MPH) was prescribed to 38 patients, whereas atomoxetine was prescribed to 32 patients. The reading the mind in the eyes test (RMET) and Benton face recognition test (BFRT) were applied to all participants before and after treatment. The patients with ADHD had a significantly lower number of correct answers in child and adolescent RMET and in BFRT than the healthy controls. Among the ADHD subtypes, the hyperactive/impulsive subtype had a lower number of correct answers in the RMET than the inattentive subtypes, and the hyperactive/impulsive subtype had a lower number of correct answers in short and long form of BFRT than the combined and inattentive subtypes. Male and female patients with ADHD did not differ significantly with respect to the number of correct answers on the RMET and BFRT. The patients showed significant improvement in RMET and BFRT after treatment with OROS-MPH or atomoxetine. Patients with ADHD have difficulties in face recognition as well as emotion recognition. Both OROS-MPH and atomoxetine affect emotion recognition. However, further studies on the face and emotion recognition are needed in ADHD.

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

Change history

  • 21 December 2017

    The author would like to correct the error in the publication of the original article. The corrected details are given below for your reading.

References

  • Aspan N, Bozsik C, Gadoros J et al (2014) Emotion recognition pattern in adolescent boys with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Biomed Res Int. doi:10.1155/2014/761340

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Barkley RA (1997) Behavioral inhibition, sustained attention, and executive functions: constructing a unifying theory of ADHD. Psychol Bull 121:65

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Baron-Cohen S, Wheelwright S, Hill J, Raste Y, Plumb I (2001) The ‘‘reading the mind in the eyes’’ test revised version: a study with normal adults, and adults with asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 42:241–251

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Benton AL, Sivan AB, Hamsher K, Varney NR, Spreen O (1983) Benton facial recognition: stimulus and multiple choice pictures. Psychological Assessment Resources (PAR), Lutz

  • Blair R, Morris J, Frith C, Dolan R (1999) Dissociable neural responses to facial expressions of sadness and anger. Brain 122:883

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Boakes J, Chapman E, Houghton S, West J (2008) Facial affecti interpretation in boys with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Child Neuropsychol 14:82–96

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brotman MA, Rich BA, Guyer AE et al (2010) Amygdala activation during emotion processing of neutral faces in children with severe mood dysregulation versus ADHD or bipolar disorder. Am J Psychiatry 167:61–69

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Castellanos FX, Sharp WS, Gottesman RF, Greenstein DK, Giedd JN, Rapoport JL (2003) Anatomic brain abnormalities in monozygotic twins discordant for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Am J Psychiatry 160:1693–1696

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cherkasova MV, Hechtman L (2009) Neuroimaging in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: beyond the frontostriatal circuitry. Can J Psychiatry 54:651–663

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Combs DR, Adams SD, Penn DL, Roberts D, Tiegreen J, Stem P (2007) Social cognition and interaction training (SCIT) for inpatients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders: preliminary findings. Schizophr Res 91:112–116

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Conners CK (2001) Development of the CRS-R. In: Conners CK (ed) Conners’ rating scales—revised. Multi-Health Systems, North Tonawanda, pp 83–98

    Google Scholar 

  • Fonseca DA, Seguier V, Santos A, Poinso F, Deruelle C (2009) Emotion understanding in children with ADHD. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 40(1):111–121

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gauthier I, Skudlarski P, Gore JC, Anderson AW (2000) Expertise for cars and birds recruits brain areas involved in face recognition. Nat Neurosci 3:191–197

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gobbini MI, Haxby JV (2007) Neural systems for recognition of familiar faces. Neuropsychologia 45(1):32–41

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Greene RW, Biederman J, Faraone SV, Penn C, Griffin SM (1996) Toward a new definition of social disability in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 35:571–578

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Guy W (1976) ECDEU assessment manual for psychopharmacology. United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration, National Institute of Mental Health, Psychopharmacology Research Branch, Division of Extramural Research Programs, Washington, DC

  • Hall CW, Peterson AD, Webster RE et al (1999) Perception of nonverbal social cues by regular education, ADHD, and ADHD/LD students. Psychol Sch 36:505–514

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoffman EA, Haxby JV (2000) Distinct representations of eye gaze and identity in the distributed human neural system for face perception. Nat Neurosci 3(1):80–84

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kanwisher N, Mcdermott J, Chun MM (1997) The fusiform face area: a module in human extrastriate cortex specialized for face perception. J Neurosci 17:4302

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Katz-Gold I, Besser A, Priel B (2007) The role of simple emotion recognition skills among school aged boys at risk of ADHD. J Abnorm Child Psychol 35:363–378

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaufman J, Birmaher B, Brent D, Rao U, Flynn C, Moreci P, Williamson D, Ryan N (1997) Schedule for affective disorders and schizophrenia for school-age children-present and lifetime version (K-SADS-PL): initial reliability and validity data. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 367:980–988

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kesler-West ML, Andersen AH, Smith CD et al. (2001) Neural substrates of facial emotion processing using fMRI. Brain Res Cogn Brain Res 11:213–226

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Loughland CM, Williams LM, Gordon E (2002) Visual scanpaths to positive and negative facial emotions in an outpatient schizophrenia sample. Schizophr Res 55:159–170

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marsh AA, Finger EC, Mitchell DGV et al (2008) Reduced amygdala response to fearful expressions in children and adolescents with callous-unemotional traits and disruptive behavior disorders. Am J Psychiatry 165:712–720

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mcalonan G, Cheung V, Chua S et al (2009) Age-related grey matter volume correlates of response inhibition and shifting in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Br J Psychiatry 194:123–129

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Owens EB, Hinshaw SP, Lee SS, Lahey BB (2009) Few girls with childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder show positive adjustment in adolescence. J Clin Child Psychol 38:132–143

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Passarotti AM, Sweeney JA, Pavuluri MN (2010) Emotion processing influences working memory circuits in pediatric bipolar disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 49:1064–1080

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Pelc K, Kornreich C, Foisy ML, Dan B (2006) Recognition of emotional facial expressions in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Pediatr Neurol 35:93–97

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Phillips ML, Drevets WC, Rauch SL, Lane R (2003) Neurobiology of emotion perception I: the neural basis of normal emotion perception. Biol Psychiatry 54:504–514

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rotshtein P, Malach R, Hadar U, Graif M, Hendler T (2001) Feeling or features: different sensitivity to emotion in high-order visual cortex and amygdala. Neuron 32:747–757

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rubia K, Alegría AA, Brinson H (2014) Brain abnormalities in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a review. Rev Neurol 58(1):3–16

    Google Scholar 

  • Said CP, Haxby JV, Todorov A (2011) Brain systems for assessing the affective value of faces. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 366(1571):1660–1670

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Schwenck C, Schmitt D, Sievers S, Romanos M, Warnke A, Schneider W (2011) Cognitive and emotional empathy in children with ADHD and conduct disorder. Z Kinder Jugendpsychiatr Psychother 39(4):265–276

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schwenck C, Schneider T, Schreckenbach J et al (2013) Emotion recognition in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Atten Defic Hyperact Disord 5(3):295–302

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Singh SD, Ellis CR, Winton AS, Singh NN, Leung JP, Oswald DP (1998) Recognition of facial expressions of emotion by children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Behav Modif 22(2):128–142

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sinzig J, Morsch D, Lehmkuhl G (2008) Do hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention have an impact on the ability of facial affect recognition in children with autism and ADHD? Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 17(2):63–72

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Solanto MV, Pope-Boyd SA, Tryon WW, Stepak B (2009) Social functioning in predominantly inattentive and combined subtypes of children with ADHD. J Atten Disord 13:27–35

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Spencer T, Biederman J, Wilens T et al (2005) A large, double-blind, randomized clinical trial of methylphenidate in the treatment of adults with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Biol Psychiatry 57:456–463

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stanghellini G, Ballerini M, Criterion B (2007) Social dysfunction in persons with schizophrenia: the puzzle. Curr Opin Psychiatry 20:582

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Subhashni D (1998) Recognition of Facial Expressions of Emotion by Children with ADHD. Behav Modif 22:128–142

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Surguladze SA, Brammer MJ, Young AW et al. (2003) A preferential increase in the extrastriate response to signals of danger. Neuroimage 19(4):1317–1328

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas LA, De Bellis MD, Graham R, La Bar KS (2007) Development of emotional facial recognition in late childhood and adolescence. Dev Sci 10:547–558

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Uekermann J, Kraemer M, Abdel-Hamid M et al (2010) Social cognition in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Neurosci Biobehav Rev 34(5):734–743

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Von Morgenstern SB, Becker I, Sinzig J (2014) Improvement of facial affect recognition in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder under methylphenidate. Acta Neuropsychiatr 26(4):202–208

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wechsler D (1974) Manual for the Wechsler intelligence scale for children, revised. Psychological Corporation, New york

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams LM, Hermens DF, Palmer D et al (2008) Misinterpreting emotional expressions in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: evidence for a neural marker and stimulant effects. Biol Psychiatry 63(10):917–926

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Williams L, Mathersul D, Palmer DM, Gur RC, Gur RE, Gordon E (2009) Explicit identification and implicit recognition of facial emotions: I. Age effects in males and females across 10 decades. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 31(3):257–277

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yuill N, Lyon J (2007) Selective difficulty in recognising facial expressions of emotion in boys with ADHD: general performance impairments or specific problems in social cognition? Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 16(6):398–404

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dr Ferhan Elmalı PhD for help with the statistical analysis. The RMET test was devised by the Autism Research Centre (ARC) for use during the course of our research.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erciyes University, School of Medicine, 38039, Kayseri, Turkey

    Esra Demirci

  2. Department of Psychology, Beykent University, Faculties of Science and Literature, Istanbul, Turkey

    Ayten Erdogan

Authors
  1. Esra Demirci
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ayten Erdogan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Esra Demirci.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

All authors declare no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest.

Additional information

A correction to this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1007/s12402-017-0247-4.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Demirci, E., Erdogan, A. Is emotion recognition the only problem in ADHD? effects of pharmacotherapy on face and emotion recognition in children with ADHD. ADHD Atten Def Hyp Disord 8, 197–204 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12402-016-0201-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12402-016-0201-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation