Working memory deficits can be overcome: impacts of training and medication on working memory in children with ADHD

Joni Holmes; Susan Gathercole; Maurice Place; Darren Dunning; Kerry Hilton; Julian Elliott

doi:10.1002/acp.1589

Working memory deficits can be overcome: impacts of training and medication on working memory in children with ADHD

Joni Holmes, Susan Gathercole, Maurice Place, Darren Dunning, Kerry Hilton, Julian Elliott

Northumbria University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

256 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This study evaluated the impact of two interventions - a training program and stimulant medication - on working memory (WM) function in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Twenty-five children aged between 8 and 11 years participated in training that taxed WM skills to the limit for a minimum of 20 days, and completed other assessments of WM and IQ before and after training, and with and without prescribed drug treatment. While medication significantly improved visuo-spatial memory performance, training led to substantial gains in all components of WM across untrained tasks. Training gains associated with the central executive persisted over a 6-month period. IQ scores were unaffected by either intervention. These findings indicate that the WM impairments in children with ADHD can be differentially ameliorated by training and by stimulant medication.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	827-836
Journal	Applied Cognitive Psychology
Volume	24
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.1589
Publication status	Published - 2010

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abstract = "This study evaluated the impact of two interventions - a training program and stimulant medication - on working memory (WM) function in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Twenty-five children aged between 8 and 11 years participated in training that taxed WM skills to the limit for a minimum of 20 days, and completed other assessments of WM and IQ before and after training, and with and without prescribed drug treatment. While medication significantly improved visuo-spatial memory performance, training led to substantial gains in all components of WM across untrained tasks. Training gains associated with the central executive persisted over a 6-month period. IQ scores were unaffected by either intervention. These findings indicate that the WM impairments in children with ADHD can be differentially ameliorated by training and by stimulant medication.",

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AU - Hilton, Kerry

AU - Elliott, Julian

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AB - This study evaluated the impact of two interventions - a training program and stimulant medication - on working memory (WM) function in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Twenty-five children aged between 8 and 11 years participated in training that taxed WM skills to the limit for a minimum of 20 days, and completed other assessments of WM and IQ before and after training, and with and without prescribed drug treatment. While medication significantly improved visuo-spatial memory performance, training led to substantial gains in all components of WM across untrained tasks. Training gains associated with the central executive persisted over a 6-month period. IQ scores were unaffected by either intervention. These findings indicate that the WM impairments in children with ADHD can be differentially ameliorated by training and by stimulant medication.

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Working memory deficits can be overcome: impacts of training and medication on working memory in children with ADHD

Abstract

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