Aversive inhibition in adult ADHD and its restoration by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy: A behavioral pilot study
Dirk E. M. Geurts, Hanneke E.m. den Ouden, Lotte Janssens, Jennifer C Swart, Monja Isabel Froböse, Roshan Cools, Anne E. M. Speckens
PsyArXiv January 9, 2022 preprint DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/aenr8 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Pilot study |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 50 |
| Population | Adults with ADHD |
| Interventions | Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) treatment as usual (TAU) |
| Duration | 8 weeks of treatment |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Adults with ADHD who had greater clinical hyperactivity/impulsivity showed less aversive Pavlovian inhibition on a Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer task. Aversive Pavlovian inhibition was enhanced after eight weeks of treatment as usual plus mindfulness-based cognitive therapy compared with treatment as usual alone. |
Abstract
Background: Control over the tendency to make or withhold responses based on contextual Pavlovian information, might play a key role in understanding impulsivity/hyperactivity in ADHD. Here we set out to assess (1) the understudied relation between Pavlovian inhibitory control and hyperactivity/impulsivity in adults with ADHD and (2) whether this inhibition can be enhanced by mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT).
Methods: 50 Adult ADHD patients were assessed before and after 8 weeks of treatment as usual (TAU) with (n=24) or without (n=26) MBCT. We employed a sophisticated, well-established Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer task that quantifies Pavlovian control over instrumental behavior.
Results: Task results revealed (1) less aversive Pavlovian inhibition in patients with clinical hyperactivity/impulsivity; and (2) enhanced inhibition after TAU+MBCT compared with TAU.
Conclusions: Aversive Pavlovian inhibition plays a role in clinically relevant hyperactivity/impulsivity in adult ADHD and MBCT can be used to enhance this form of inhibition.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |