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The Attention Network Test in the study of cognitive impairment of ADHD patients

Authors

Vazquez-Marrufo, Manuel , Garcia-Valdecasas Colell, Macarena , GALVAO CARMONA, ALEJANDRO, Sarrias-Arrabal, Esteban , Tirapu-Ustarroz, Javier

External publication

No

Means

Rev. Neurologia

Scope

Article

Nature

Científica

JCR Quartile

SJR Quartile

JCR Impact

0.562

SJR Impact

0.21

Publication date

16/11/2019

ISI

000510008200005

Scopus Id

2-s2.0-85074842393

Abstract

Introduction. The Attention Network Test (ANT) has been applied to the\n study of potential attentional impairments in diverse neuropathologies\n in the last years. This test allows analyzing of different networks\n involved in attentional processing (alerting, orientation and executive\n system).\n Development. A specific application of ANT in ADHD patients shows that\n it is possible to find diverse impairments in the three attentional\n networks and even some studies revealed no alterations. Potential causes\n of this heterogeneity in the results could be based in methodological\n variations between studies, other pathological conditions in the\n participants and the network effects calculation that has been probed\n that could be wrongly interpreted.\n Conclusions. Despite the lack of conclusive results, this test shows\n multiple applications that would allow disentangling diverse cognitive\n impairments in ADHD patients. ANT could analyze diverse cognitive\n mechanisms that could be compromised in these patients (tonic and phasic\n alerting, temporal and spatial expectancy, degree of interference of the\n distractor stimuli, attentional blinking o inhibition of return). This\n test could help to perform a better characterization of ADHD patients\n further than the classical forms considered nowadays (unattended and\n combined).\n Introduction. The Attention Network Test (ANT) has been applied to the\n study of potential attentional impairments in diverse neuropathologies\n in the last years. This test allows analyzing of different networks\n involved in attentional processing (alerting, orientation and executive\n system).\n Development. A specific application of ANT in ADHD patients shows that\n it is possible to find diverse impairments in the three attentional\n networks and even some studies revealed no alterations. Potential causes\n of this heterogeneity in the results could be based in methodological\n variations between studies, other pathological conditions in the\n participants and the network effects calculation that has been probed\n that could be wrongly interpreted.\n Conclusions. Despite the lack of conclusive results, this test shows\n multiple applications that would allow disentangling diverse cognitive\n impairments in ADHD patients. ANT could analyze diverse cognitive\n mechanisms that could be compromised in these patients (tonic and phasic\n alerting, temporal and spatial expectancy, degree of interference of the\n distractor stimuli, attentional blinking o inhibition of return). This\n test could help to perform a better characterization of ADHD patients\n further than the classical forms considered nowadays (unattended and\n combined).

Keywords

ADHD; Alerting; Attention Network Test; Cognition; Executive system; Orientation

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