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Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms and cognitive abilities in the late-life cohort of the PATH Through Life Study

Das, Debjani; Cherbuin, Nicolas; Easteal, Simon; Anstey, Kaarin

Description

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common neuropsychiatric disorder that has not been well studied in older adults. In this study we examined relationships between ADHD symptoms and cognitive ability and compared them between middle-age (MA; 48-52 years) and older-age (OA; 68-74 years) adults sampled from the same population. ADHD, mood disorder symptoms and cognitive abilities were assessed in a large population-based sample (n = 3443; 50% male). We measured current ADHD...[Show more]

dc.contributor.authorDas, Debjani
dc.contributor.authorCherbuin, Nicolas
dc.contributor.authorEasteal, Simon
dc.contributor.authorAnstey, Kaarin
dc.date.accessioned2018-11-29T22:56:16Z
dc.date.available2018-11-29T22:56:16Z
dc.identifier.issn1932-6203
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1885/153459
dc.description.abstractAttention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common neuropsychiatric disorder that has not been well studied in older adults. In this study we examined relationships between ADHD symptoms and cognitive ability and compared them between middle-age (MA; 48-52 years) and older-age (OA; 68-74 years) adults sampled from the same population. ADHD, mood disorder symptoms and cognitive abilities were assessed in a large population-based sample (n = 3443; 50% male). We measured current ADHD symptoms using the adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS), which we found to have the same underlying structure in both cohorts. Older adults reported significantly lower levels of ADHD symptoms and 2.2% of the OA cohort scored equal or above the ASRS cut-off score of 14 (which has been previously associated with ADHD diagnosis) compared with 6.2% of MA adults. Symptom levels were not significantly different between males and females. Using multigroup structural equation modelling we compared ADHD symptom-cognitive performance relationships between the two age groups. Generally higher ADHD symptoms were associated with poorer cognitive performance in the MA cohort. However, higher levels of inattention symptoms were associated with better verbal ability in both cohorts. Surprisingly, greater hyperactivity was associated with better task-switching abilities in older adults. In the OA cohort ADHD symptom-cognition relationships are indirect, mediated largely through the strong association between depression symptoms and cognition. Our results suggest that ADHD symptoms decrease with age and that their relationships with co-occurring mood disorders and cognitive performance also change. Although symptoms of depression are lower in older adults, they are much stronger predictors of cognitive performance and likely mediate the effect of ADHD symptoms on cognition in this age group. These results highlight the need for age-appropriate diagnosis and treatment of comorbid ADHD and mood disorders.
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.publisherPublic Library of Science
dc.rightsCopyright Information: 2014 Das et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author a
dc.sourcePLOS ONE (Public Library of Science)
dc.subjectKeywords: adult; age; aged; article; attention deficit disorder; Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Self Report Scale; attention disturbance; cognition; comorbidity; depression; female; human; hyperactivity; major clinical study; male; mental performance; mid
dc.titleAttention deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms and cognitive abilities in the late-life cohort of the PATH Through Life Study
dc.typeJournal article
local.description.notesImported from ARIES
local.identifier.citationvolume9
dc.date.issued2014
local.identifier.absfor111714 - Mental Health
local.identifier.ariespublicationu4056230xPUB321
local.type.statusPublished Version
local.contributor.affiliationDas, Debjani, College of Health and Medicine, ANU
local.contributor.affiliationCherbuin, Nicolas, College of Health and Medicine, ANU
local.contributor.affiliationEasteal, Simon, College of Health and Medicine, ANU
local.contributor.affiliationAnstey, Kaarin, College of Health and Medicine, ANU
local.bibliographicCitation.issue1
local.bibliographicCitation.startpagee86552
local.bibliographicCitation.lastpagee86552
local.identifier.doi10.1371/journal.pone.0086552
local.identifier.absseo920410 - Mental Health
dc.date.updated2018-11-29T08:11:15Z
local.identifier.scopusID2-s2.0-84900336032
local.identifier.thomsonID000330510000059
dcterms.accessRightsOpen Access
CollectionsANU Research Publications

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