Intra-individual variability in behavior and functioning is ubiquitous among children
with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but it has not been systematically
examined or integrated within causal models. This article seeks to provide a conceptual,
methodologic, and analytic framework as a foundation for future research. We first
identify five key research questions and methodologic issues. For illustration, we
examine the periodic structure of Eriksen Flanker task reaction time (RT) data obtained
from 24 boys with ADHD and 18 age-matched comparison boys. Reaction time variability
in ADHD differed quantitatively from control subjects, particularly at a modal frequency
around .05 Hz (cycle length approximately 20 sec). These oscillations in RT were unaffected
by double-blind placebo and were suppressed by double-blind methylphenidate. Together
with converging lines of basic and clinical evidence, these secondary data analyses
support the speculative hypothesis that the increased power of multisecond oscillations
in ADHD RT data, and by inference, in attentional performance, represents a catecholaminergic
deficit in the ability to appropriately modulate such oscillations in neuronal activity.
These results highlight the importance of retaining time-series data and quantitatively
examining intra-subject measures of variability as a putative endophenotype for ADHD.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 31, 2005
Accepted:
December 2,
2004
Received in revised form:
November 16,
2004
Received:
June 2,
2004
Identification
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© 2005 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
