Event related potentials study of aberrations in voice control mechanisms in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Objective: The present study was designed to test for neural signs of impulsivity related to voice motor control in young adults with ADHD using EEG recordings in a voice pitch perturbation paradigm. Methods: Two age-matched groups of young adults were presented with brief pitch shifts of auditory feedback during vocalization. Compensatory behavioral and corresponding bioelectrical brain responses were elicited by the pitch-shifted voice feedback. Results: The analysis of bioelectrical responses showed that the ADHD group had shorter peak latency and onset time of motor-related bioelectrical brain responses as compared to the controls. Conclusions: These results were interpreted to suggest differences in executive functions between ADHD and control participants. Significance: We hypothesize that more rapid motor-related bioelectrical responses found in the present study may be a manifestation of impulsiveness in adults with ADHD at the involuntary level of voice control.