Attentional selection and suppression in non-clinical adults : An event-related potential study

Abstract: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that manifests as a developmentally inappropriate pattern of inattention, and hyperactivity or impulsivity. ADHD is a multifactorial disorder with inter alia deficits in selective attention processing. The current diagnosis of ADHD is error-prone as it relies on subjective descriptions and external observations of behavior. Measures that are less reliant on subjective descriptions can enable more accurate and informative diagnoses of ADHD. Wang et al. (2016) have identified two event-related potential (ERP) components, posterior contralateral N2 (N2pc) and distractor positivity (PD) as predictors of ADHD symptom severity in children. N2pc reflects target selection and PD reflects distractor suppression during visual selective attention. The present study aimed to examine how target-evoked N2pc and distractor-evoked PD related to attentional capacity in non-clinical adults. Participants were presented with a visual search paradigm and a self-report scale, the Everyday Life Attention Scale (ELAS). The amplitude of target-evoked N2pc and distractor-evoked PD amplitude was compared to ELAS score in multiple linear regression models. Results displayed that the peak amplitude of target-evoked N2pc was a significant predictor of attentional capacity (as measured with ELAS), while the peak amplitude of distractor-evoked PD was not associated with attentional capacity. Participants with higher attentional capacity (ELAS score) displayed less negative peak amplitudes of target-evoked N2pc. This seems to suggest that target selection, but not distractor suppression in nonclinical adults can predict attentional capacity. However, due to a limited sample size, further research is needed before drawing any major conclusions.