Impaired response inhibition during a stop-signal task in children with Tourette syndrome is related to ADHD symptoms: A functional magnetic resonance imaging study

Thaira J. C. Openneer*, Dennis van der Meer, Jan-Bernard C. Marsman, Natalie J. Forde, Sophie E. A. Akkermans, Jilly Naaijen, Jan K. Buitelaar, Pieter J. Hoekstra, Andrea Dietrich

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Objectives Tourette syndrome (TS) is characterised by the presence of sudden, rapid movements and vocalizations (tics). The nature of tics suggests impairments in inhibitory control. However, findings of impaired inhibitory control have so far been inconsistent, possibly due to small sample sizes, wide age ranges, or not taking medication use or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) comorbidity into account. Methods We investigated group differences in response inhibition using an fMRI-based stop-signal task in 103 8 to 12-year-old children (n = 51 with TS, of whomn = 28 without comorbid ADHD [TS - ADHD] andn = 23 with comorbid ADHD [TS + ADHD]; andn = 52 healthy controls), and related these measures to tic and ADHD severity. Results We observed an impaired response inhibition performance in children with TS + ADHD, but not in those with TS - ADHD, relative to healthy controls, as evidenced by a slower stop-signal reaction time, slower mean reaction times, and larger variability of reaction times. Dimensional analyses implicated ADHD severity as the driving force in these findings. Neural activation during failed inhibition was stronger in the inferior frontal gyrus and temporal and parietal areas in TS + ADHD compared to healthy controls. Conclusions Impaired inhibitory performance and increased neural activity in TS appear to manifest predominantly in relation to ADHD symptomatology.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)350-361
Number of pages12
JournalWorld Journal of Biological Psychiatry
Volume22
Issue number5
Early online date11 Sept 2020
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 28 May 2021

Keywords

  • Tourette syndrome
  • comorbid ADHD
  • response inhibition
  • functional imaging
  • stop-signal task
  • ATTENTION-DEFICIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER
  • ACTIVATION PATTERNS
  • COGNITIVE CONTROL
  • ICA-AROMA
  • BRAIN
  • FMRI
  • RELIABILITY
  • PERFORMANCE
  • ROBUST
  • METAANALYSIS

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