Psychiatry Investig.
2014 Jan;11(1):65-75.
Neuropsychological and Behavioral Profiles in Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Children of Parents with a History of Mood Disorders: A Pilot Study
- Affiliations
-
- 1Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- 2Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea. hjyoo@snu.ac.kr
- 3Department of Psychiatry, Pusan National University YangSan Children's Hospital, Yangsan, Republic of Korea.
- 4Department of Psychiatry, Inje University Busan Paik Hospital, Busan, Republic of Korea.
- 5Department of Psychiatry, Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital, Goyang, Republic of Korea.
- 6Department of Preventive Medicine, Eulji University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
We aimed to investigate the neurocognitive and behavioral endophenotypes of premorbid mood disorder. We compared intelligence, neuropsychological functioning, and behavioral problems among three groups: 1) a high-risk group [attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) children of parents with a history of a mood disorder], 2) a low-risk group (ADHD children of parents without a history of a mood disorder), and 3) normal comparison subjects.
METHODS
We used the Korean Educational Development Institute Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (KEDI-WISC-R), the Stroop Color Word Interference Test (Stroop), the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), and the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (RCFT) as neurocognitive measures, and we used the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) as a behavioral measure. Performance on these neuropsychological tests and score on the CBCL of 18 high-risk children were compared to those of 20 low-risk children and 24 healthy children. We also assessed the children's current mood state and familial functioning to control for the confounding effects of these variables.
RESULTS
Compared to low-risk and healthy children, high-risk children were impaired on the Picture Completion and Stroop Word subtest and showed higher scores on the CBCL subscales representing internalizing symptoms. These significant group differences persisted even after adjustment for the children's current mood state and familial functioning.
CONCLUSION
Neuropsychological deficits in the offspring of parents with a mood disorder may be associated with the current mood state rather than with innate characteristics, while their internalizing symptoms may partially stem from innate characteristics that are endophenotypes of a premorbid mood disorder.