ADHD is a psychiatric disorder characterized by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity (DSM-V, 2013). An impairment of inhibitory control has been suggested as the primary deficit in children with ADHD, which is thought to cause secondary impairments in executive functioning. A few studies investigated executive capacities in adults with ADHD. Specifically, an impairment in action inhibition has been reported in ADHD participants. Moreover, inhibition of action is often associated with distinctive electroencephalographic (EEG) correlates. The present study aim at combining both novel inhibitory control measurement techniques and EEG analysis in temporal and frequency domains to assess the sensitivity and the specificity of an inhibitory deficit in adults with ADHD. This is part of an improvement in the procedures for diagnosing ADHD syndrome and its functional evaluation.~The study will analyze the EEG activity associated with two stop-signal tasks requiring inhibitory capacities. A set of other cognitive skills will also be evaluated during a neuropsychological assessment. The results of ADHD patients will be compared with those of a control group (healthy volunteers) to assess the sensitivity of an inhibition deficit to the disorder. These same results will also be compared with those of a second control group (patients with a negative diagnosis of ADHD) to assess the specificity of the inhibitory deficit.~This experimental strategy results in the involvement of three groups of participants (ADHD patients and two control groups) in three visits (neuropsychological assessment and two EEG sessions).
Inhibitory control allows individuals to suppress unwanted actions and to resist irrelevant stimuli. It is thought to be a core deficit in Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The present study aims at evaluating this deficit in adults with ADHD. Executive and inhibitory capacities, as well as the neural mechanisms underlying inhibitory control, will be assessed in adults with ADHD and two control groups of participants.