Cue-dependent inhibition in posttraumatic stress disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

•Response inhibition was compared in 161 adult men with PTSD and/or ADHD and controls.•PTSD and ADHD + PTSD were linked to impaired response execution and inhibition.•PTSD and ADHD + PTSD showed slower, more variable reaction time relative to controls.•No cue dependency differences were observed by PTSD or ADHD diagnosis.

ObjectiveAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are common among military veterans, but the comorbidity of these two psychiatric disorders remains largely unstudied. Evaluating response inhibition and cue-dependent learning as behavioral and neurocognitive mechanisms underlying ADHD/PTSD can inform etiological models and development of tailored interventions.MethodA cued go/no-go task evaluated response inhibition in 160 adult males. Participants were recruited from the community and a Veterans Administration medical center. Four diagnostic groups were identified: ADHD-only, PTSD-only, ADHD + PTSD, controls.ResultsGroup differences were observed across most indices of inhibitory functioning, reaction time, and reaction time variability, whereby PTSD-only and ADHD + PTSD participants demonstrated deficits relative to controls. No cue dependency effects were observed.ConclusionFinding complement prior work on neurocognitive mechanisms underlying ADHD, PTSD, and ADHD + PTSD. Lack of expected group differences for the ADHD-only group may be due to limited power. Additional work is needed to better characterize distinctions among clinical groups, as well as to test effects among women and youth.