Visual-spatial working memory in ADHD: new evidence for a storage rather than a processing deficit.
The ability to voluntarily control eye movements is part of the "executive function" domain, which includes working memory and is impaired in neuro-developmental disorders such as ADHD. The present study aimed to investigate two types of "executive" saccades – anti-saccades (AS) and memory-guided sa...
| Published in: | European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Vol. 35; no. 6; pp. 1819 - 1827 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
| Format: | research tables/charts Journal Article |
| Published: |
Springer Nature
Jun2026
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=195149904&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 195149904 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 10188827 EJ3 jtl: European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry issn: 10188827 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Jun2026 vid: 35 iid: 6 pid: 237 pub: Springer Nature place: New York, New York artinfo: ui: 195149904 191798417 195149904 195149904 10.1007/s00787-026-02987-8 195149904 ppf: 1819 ppct: 8 formats: tig: atl: Visual-spatial working memory in ADHD: new evidence for a storage rather than a processing deficit. aug: au: Coclici, A. Canu, D. Bretthauer, J. Biscaldi, M. Smyrnis, N. Klein, Christoph affil: https://ror.org/0245cg223 Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical Centre, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany sug: subj: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Physiopathology Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Physiopathology Memory, Short Term Evaluation Saccades Evaluation Spatial Perception Evaluation Age Factors Evaluation Task Performance and Analysis Construct Validity Human Female Male Child Adolescence Case Control Studies Comparative Studies Descriptive Statistics Correlational Studies Analysis of Covariance Reaction Time Data Analysis Software Two-Tailed Test Validation Studies Executive Function Visual Perception Child: 6-12 years Adolescent: 13-18 years Female Male ab: The ability to voluntarily control eye movements is part of the "executive function" domain, which includes working memory and is impaired in neuro-developmental disorders such as ADHD. The present study aimed to investigate two types of "executive" saccades – anti-saccades (AS) and memory-guided saccades (MGS) – as well as their relationships in samples of children and adolescents with ADHD and neurotypical controls. To that end, anti-saccades and memory-guided saccades were recorded in n = 65 participants with ADHD (age 9.2–17.1 years) and n = 74 neurotypical controls (aged 9.1–17.3 years) as part of a larger ocular-motor test battery, using the EyeLink 1000 + eye tracker (SR-Research). Results reveal less correct MGS with lower spatial accuracy as well as a trend for less correct AS with normal spatial accuracy in participants with ADHD, compared to neurotypical controls. Furthermore, the spatial accuracies of AS and MGS were significantly correlated in the control (r=.35) and ADHD (r=.26) groups, corresponding to medium effect sizes (eta2: control: 0.12, ADHD: 0.07). These findings suggest that the storage of spatial information in working memory, as required in the MGS task, is impaired in ADHD, while the processing of this information, as required in the AS task, remains largely intact. The correlations between the two task parameters in both groups confirm that storage and processing are related abilities in working memory and that this relationship is basically intact in ADHD. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: research tables/charts Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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