What does handedness reveal about ADHD? An analysis based on CPT performance

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2017.04.009Get rights and content

Abstract

Background

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a developmental disorder. Continuous performance Tests (CPTs) aid the diagnosis. Handedness is linked to disabilities.

Objectives

1-To study the association between handedness and ADHD; 2-To verify the usefulness of the CPT in school settings; 3-To exam the relationship between handedness and CPT performance.

Method

Each child was classified as right-consistent, left-consistent, or non-consistent. From the sample, 171 controls and 68 ADHDs fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The effect of handedness on the CPT was studied using a paired-sample that matched handedness by age, grade, gender, and ADHD.

Results

Left-handed students had a probability of suffering from ADHD 2.88 greater than right-handers. ANOVAs on standardized scores indicated that the ADHD students exhibited higher number of errors and higher variability of reaction times as compared to the controls. Discriminant analysis indicated that these CPT parameters could discriminate ADHD from controls. Repeated ANOVAs showed a significant effect of handedness on commission errors (CE) because left-handers made more CEs than right-handers.

Conclusions

1-The association between ADHD and handedness reflects that left-handers are less lateralized and have decreased interhemispheric connections; 2-The CPT can be used to measure different attention domains in school settings; 3- Left-handers have problems in the impulsive/hyperactivity domain.

Section snippets

What this paper adds?

Gender and handedness are associated with several developmental disorders, which has led to many implications for understanding these diseases and their problems’ remediation. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is an early-onset disease affecting 5% of the population worldwide. Gender and age differences are known to be associated with ADHD. Regarding handedness, the data are controversial. Here, for the first time in ADHD studies, handedness was defined by direction and strength.

Participants and samples

Participation in the research was voluntary. Parents and school principals signed informed consents. This study was carried out under institutional approval, by the law (Declaration of Helsinki).

After approval of the project by the ethical committees, educational authorities of the State of Rio de Janeiro and four selected municipalities were contacted to indicate possible schools and allow them to participate in the research. Then, the principals of ten different junior high and elementary

Demography

From the initial sample, n = 337, 239 students (Table 2) fulfilled the inclusion criteria and 28% (n = 68) were included in the ADHD group. The ADHD students with comorbidities (n = 63) were excluded from this study. Inclusion criteria for participants in the control group were the absence of academic or behavioural problems. Exclusion criteria were intellectual disability, other chronic conditions, the use of medications, and other primary psychiatric diagnoses (e.g., depression, anxiety, and

Discussion

When the total group was dichotomized by disease (ADHD versus control) and by direction of consistency of handedness (consistent right-handers versus consistent left- handers) we showed that the percentage of consistent left-handed ADHD children (12%) is different from that found in the control group (4%). The analysis of the odds ratio shows that the probability of a consistent left-handed student presenting ADHD is 2.8 times greater than that of a right-hander. Three variables of the CVAT

Declaration of conflicting interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and publication of this article.

Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to Catarina S. Padilla for the critical comments on the manuscript. A. C. Manhaes and S.L. Schmidt developed the CVAT used in this study.

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