Neuropsychological Deficits Associated With Heavy Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Are Not Exacerbated by ADHD

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Leila Glass, San Diego State University; Ashley L. Ware, San Diego State University; Nicole Crocker, San Diego State University; Benjamin N. Deweese, San Diego State University; Claire Coles, Emory University; Julie Kable, Emory University; Philip A. May, University of North Carolina; Wendy O. Kalberg, University of New Mexico; Elizabeth R. Sowell, University of New Mexico; Kenneth Lyons Jones, University of California San Diego; Edward P. Riley, San Diego State University; Sarah N. Mattson, San Diego State University
• Language: English
• Date: 2013-11-01
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis (Routledge): STM, Behavioural Science and Public Health Titles
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2013 American Psychological Association.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0033994
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Aging, Neuropsychology and Cognition
• ISSN: 1382-5585
• Volume: 27
• Issue: 6
• Start Page: 713
• End Page: 724
• Grant/Funding Information: Research described in this paper was supported by NIAAA grant numbers U01 AA014834 (Mattson), U24 AA014811 (Riley), T32 AA013525 (Riley), U24 AA014818 (Barnett), and U24 AA014815 (Jones).; All or part of this work was done in conjunction with the Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (CIFASD), which is funded by grants from the National Institute on Alcohol and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA).
• Keywords: ADAPTIVE-BEHAVIOR; Science & Technology; ATTENTION-DEFICIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER; Neurosciences & Neurology; AMERICAN CHILDREN; Social Sciences; NEUROBEHAVIORAL PROFILE; specificity; fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS); attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); Psychology, Clinical; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; SPECTRUM DISORDERS; DIAGNOSIS; Psychology; neurobehavioral profile; fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD); Neurosciences; PHYSICAL FEATURES; FETAL ALCOHOL; MEMORY; EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS
• Research Categories: Psychology, Developmental; Biology, Neuroscience

Abstract

Objective: Neuropsychological functioning of individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or heavy prenatal alcohol exposure has been well documented independently. This study examined the interaction between both factors on cognitive performance in children. Method: As part of a multisite study, 344 children (8-16 y, M = 12.28, SD = 2.52) completed a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. Four subject groups were tested: children with histories of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure (AE) and ADHD (AE+, n = 90), alcohol-exposed without ADHD, (AE-, n = 38), nonexposed with ADHD (ADHD, n = 80), and nonexposed without ADHD (CON, n = 136). Results: Separate 2(AE) × 2(ADHD) MANCOVAs revealed significant main and interactive effects of ADHD and AE on overall WISC-IV, D-KEFS, and CANTAB performance. Individual ANOVAs revealed significant interactions on 2 WISC-IV indices [Verbal Comprehension (VCI), Perceptual Reasoning (PRI)], and four D-KEFS and CANTAB subtests [Design Fluency, Verbal Fluency, Trail Making, Spatial Working Memory]. Follow-up analyses demonstrated no difference between AE+ and AE- groups on these measures. The combined AE+/- group demonstrated more severe impairment than the ADHD group on VCI and PRI, but there were no other differences between clinical groups. Conclusions: These results support a combined AE+/- group for neuropsychological research and indicate that, in some cases, the neuropsychological effects seen in ADHD are altered by prenatal alcohol exposure. The effects of alcohol exposure on verbal comprehension and perceptual reasoning were greater than those related to having ADHD without alcohol exposure, although both conditions independently resulted in cognitive impairment compared to controls. Clinically, these findings demonstrate task-dependent patterns of impairment across clinical disorders.