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Publication

The neural signature of delay aversion in Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder

Book - Dissertation

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common mental disorder of childhood characterized by problems with attention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Given the social and psychological costs associated with ADHD it is important to get an insight in the underlying developmental pathways. The current application focuses on delay aversion (DAv), an important altered motivational process in individuals with ADHD. Within contemporary neuropsychological models of ADHD, DAv may represent one neurodevelopmental pathway, explaining a substantial proportion of symptom variation. In the present PhD project, we will build further on previous work and extend the study of the neural correlates of DAv in four fMRI work packages (WP) that (i) examine the dose-response brain activation during anticipation of delay and investigate the effect of waiting-delay anticipation (WP1) (ii) study the brain states elicited in anticipation of future waiting-delay and those found during its actual exposure to waiting-delay (WP2) and those active during rest (WP3); (iii) investigate the specificity of neural activity in response to waiting delay with respect to other aversive events such as monetary loss (WP4).The overall aim is to test the hypothesis that DAv in ADHD has a distinctive neural signature (seen both during anticipation of and exposure to waiting-delay), which is dissociable from brain responses during rest and other aversive experiences.
Publication year:2020
Accessibility:Open