Emotion Regulation Via the Autonomic Nervous System in Children with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Overview

Journal J Abnorm Child Psychol

Publisher Springer

Date 2011 Mar 12

PMID 21394506

Citations 57

Authors

Erica D Musser

Richard W Backs

Colleen F Schmitt

Jennifer C Ablow

Jeffery R Measelle

Joel T Nigg

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Despite growing interest in conceptualizing ADHD as involving disrupted emotion regulation, few studies have examined the physiological mechanisms related to emotion regulation in children with this disorder. This study examined parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system reactivity via measures of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and cardiac pre-ejection period (PEP) in children with ADHD (n=32) and typically developing controls (n=34), using a novel emotion task with four conditions: negative induction, negative suppression, positive induction, and positive suppression of affect. Both groups showed strong task-response effects in RSA. However, typically developing children showed systematic variation in parasympathetic activity (RSA) depending on both emotion valence (more activation for negative emotion, reduced activation for positive emotion) and task demand (more activation for suppression than induction). In contrast, children with ADHD displayed a stable pattern of elevated parasympathetic activity (RSA) across all task conditions compared to baseline. No group differences in sympathetic activity (PEP) were observed. It is concluded ADHD in childhood is associated with abnormal parasympathetic mechanisms involved in emotion regulation.

Citing Articles

Physiological parameters to support attention deficit hyperactivity disorder diagnosis in children: a multiparametric approach.

Ribeiro T, Pages E, Huguet A, Alda J, Badiella L, Aguilo J Front Psychiatry. 2024; 15:1430797.

PMID: 39575190 PMC: 11578978. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1430797.

Vortioxetine's impact on the autonomic nervous system in depressed children and adolescents: analysis of the heart rate variability.

Krivosova M, Hutka P, Ondrejka I, Visnovcova Z, Funakova D, Hrtanek I Sci Rep. 2024; 14(1):14442.

PMID: 38910177 PMC: 11194280. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-65278-9.

Identifying ADHD-Related Abnormal Functional Connectivity with a Graph Convolutional Neural Network.

Hu Y, Ran J, Qiao R, Xu J, Tan C, Hu L Neural Plast. 2024; 2024:8862647.

PMID: 38715980 PMC: 11074862. DOI: 10.1155/2024/8862647.

Children's emotional reactivity and negative affect predict future ADHD symptom severity beyond initial ADHD symptom severity.

Alacha H, Rosen P, Bufferd S Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2024; 33(10):3517-3528.

PMID: 38502319 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-024-02403-z.

Multimodal Assessment of Emotion Dysregulation in Children with and without ADHD and Disruptive Behavior Disorders.

Hernandez M, Garcia A, Spiegel J, Dick A, Graziano P J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol. 2024; 53(3):444-459.

PMID: 38270592 PMC: 11192619. DOI: 10.1080/15374416.2024.2303706.

References

Crowell S, Beauchaine T, Gatzke-Kopp L, Sylvers P, Mead H, Chipman-Chacon J . Autonomic correlates of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and oppositional defiant disorder in preschool children. J Abnorm Psychol. 2006; 115(1):174-8. DOI: 10.1037/0021-843X.115.1.174. View

Eisenberg N, Guthrie I, Fabes R, Reiser M, Murphy B, Holgren R . The relations of regulation and emotionality to resiliency and competent social functioning in elementary school children. Child Dev. 1997; 68(2):295-311. View

Cacioppo J, Berntson G, Binkley P, Quigley K, Uchino B, Fieldstone A . Autonomic cardiac control. II. Noninvasive indices and basal response as revealed by autonomic blockades. Psychophysiology. 1994; 31(6):586-98. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.1994.tb02351.x. View

Sloan R, Shapiro P, BIGGER Jr J, Bagiella E, Steinman R, Gorman J . Cardiac autonomic control and hostility in healthy subjects. Am J Cardiol. 1994; 74(3):298-300. DOI: 10.1016/0002-9149(94)90382-4. View

Gross J, Levenson R . Emotional suppression: physiology, self-report, and expressive behavior. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1993; 64(6):970-86. DOI: 10.1037//0022-3514.64.6.970. View

Kelsey R, Ornduff S, Alpert B . Reliability of cardiovascular reactivity to stress: internal consistency. Psychophysiology. 2007; 44(2):216-25. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2007.00499.x. View

Berntson G, Cacioppo J, Binkley P, Uchino B, Quigley K, Fieldstone A . Autonomic cardiac control. III. Psychological stress and cardiac response in autonomic space as revealed by pharmacological blockades. Psychophysiology. 1994; 31(6):599-608. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.1994.tb02352.x. View

Berntson G, Cacioppo J, Quigley K . Respiratory sinus arrhythmia: autonomic origins, physiological mechanisms, and psychophysiological implications. Psychophysiology. 1993; 30(2):183-96. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.1993.tb01731.x. View

Berntson G, Cacioppo J, Quigley K . Cardiac psychophysiology and autonomic space in humans: empirical perspectives and conceptual implications. Psychol Bull. 1993; 114(2):296-322. DOI: 10.1037/0033-2909.114.2.296. View

10.

Goodman R . Psychometric properties of the strengths and difficulties questionnaire. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2001; 40(11):1337-45. DOI: 10.1097/00004583-200111000-00015. View

11.

Chronis-Tuscano A, Molina B, Pelham W, Applegate B, Dahlke A, Overmyer M . Very early predictors of adolescent depression and suicide attempts in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2010; 67(10):1044-51. PMC: 3382065. DOI: 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2010.127. View

12.

Faul F, Erdfelder E, Lang A, Buchner A . G*Power 3: a flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences. Behav Res Methods. 2007; 39(2):175-91. DOI: 10.3758/bf03193146. View

13.

Jennings J, van der Molen M, Somsen R . Changes in heart beat timing: reactivity, resetting, or perturbation?. Biol Psychol. 1998; 47(3):227-41. DOI: 10.1016/s0301-0511(97)00028-8. View

14.

Maedgen J, Carlson C . Social functioning and emotional regulation in the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder subtypes. J Clin Child Psychol. 2000; 29(1):30-42. DOI: 10.1207/S15374424jccp2901_4. View

15.

Trentacosta C, Fine S . Emotion Knowledge, Social Competence, and Behavior Problems in Childhood and Adolescence: A Meta-Analytic Review. Soc Dev. 2010; 19(1):1-29. PMC: 2975582. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9507.2009.00543.x. View

16.

Melnick S, Hinshaw S . Emotion regulation and parenting in AD/HD and comparison boys: linkages with social behaviors and peer preference. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2000; 28(1):73-86. DOI: 10.1023/a:1005174102794. View

17.

Walcott C, Landau S . The relation between disinhibition and emotion regulation in boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol. 2004; 33(4):772-82. DOI: 10.1207/s15374424jccp3304_12. View

18.

Gross J . Antecedent- and response-focused emotion regulation: divergent consequences for experience, expression, and physiology. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1998; 74(1):224-37. DOI: 10.1037//0022-3514.74.1.224. View

19.

Cadesky E, Mota V, Schachar R . Beyond words: how do children with ADHD and/or conduct problems process nonverbal information about affect?. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2000; 39(9):1160-7. DOI: 10.1097/00004583-200009000-00016. View

20.

Nigg J . Is ADHD a disinhibitory disorder?. Psychol Bull. 2001; 127(5):571-98. DOI: 10.1037/0033-2909.127.5.571. View