Methylphenidate improves diminished error and feedback sensitivity in ADHD: An Evoked Heart Rate analysis

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a developmental disorder that has previously been related to a decreased sensitivity to errors and feedback. Supplementary to the traditional performance measures, this study uses autonomic measures to study this decreased sensitivity in ADHD and the modulating effects of medication. Children with ADHD, on and off Methylphenidate (Mph), and typically developing (TD) children performed a selective attention task with three feedback conditions: reward, punishment and no feedback. Evoked Heart Rate (EHR) responses were computed for correct and error trials. All groups performed more efficiently with performance feedback than without. EHR analyses, however, showed that enhanced EHR decelerations on error trials seen in TD children, were absent in the medication-free ADHD group for all feedback conditions. The Mph-treated ADHD group showed ‘normalised’ EHR decelerations to errors and error feedback, depending on the feedback condition. This study provides further evidence for a decreased physiological responsiveness to errors and error feedback in children with ADHD and for a modulating effect of Mph.