The Effects of Working Memory Training in Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Chang Gung Medical Foundation

Status: Completed

Conditions: Attention Deficit Disorder With Hyperactivity; Psychophysiology

Treatments: Other: perceptual training; Other: Working memory training

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02959528

104-5308A3

Details and patient eligibility

About

Previous studies indicated that children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often suffer from deficits in executive function, such as attentional control, inhibition, and working memory. One of these executive functions, working memory, plays a critical role in academic performance and classroom behavior. Working memory is essential for performing complex cognitive tasks such as comprehension, learning, and reasoning. Several studies have shown that training of working memory has positive effects for ADHD and other cognitive disorder in children. However, transfer effects across studies appear to be variable and inconsistent. Event-related potentials can be a useful tool to gain insights into such mechanism. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to investigate both near and far transfer effects of N-back training in children with ADHD. In addition, the recording and analysis of event-related potentials will be adopted while children with ADHD perform the complex visuo-spatial and phonological working memory tasks.

Enrollment: 40 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 8 to 10 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• ADHD diagnosed according to criteria specified in Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5)
• aged between 8 and 10 years
• intelligence quotient > 80 (based on Test of Nonverbal Intelligence-Third Edition)
• had normal or corrected-to-normal vision
• right-handed

Exclusion criteria

• diagnosis of clinically significant oppositional defiant disorder, Autistic Spectrum Disorders, Asperger's syndrome or depression
• history of seizures

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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40 participants in 2 patient groups

Control

Active Comparator group

Description:

ADHD group treated with visual-perceptual training

Treatment:

Other: perceptual training

Experiment

Experimental group

Description:

ADHD group treated with working memory training

Treatment:

Other: Working memory training