What Causes ADHD?: Understanding What Goes Wrong and Why

432 Pages·2006·1.72 MB·English

by  Joel T. Nigg PhD

WHAT CAUSES ADHD?

WHAT CAUSES ADHD?
Understanding What Goes Wrong and Why
J O E L T. N I G G
THE GUILFORD PRESS
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Nigg,JoelT.
WhatcausesADHD?:understandingwhatgoeswrongandwhy/JoelT.
Nigg.
p.cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN-10:1-59385-267-3 ISBN-13:978-1-59385-267-2(hardcover)
1. Attention-deficithyperactivitydisorder. I. Title.
RJ506.H9N522006
618.92′8589—dc22
2006000722
AAbboouutt tthhee AAuutthhoorr
About the Author
JoelT.Nigg,PhD,isalicensedclinicalpsychologistandanactivescien-
tist in the Department of Psychology at Michigan State University. His
research on the etiology of and mechanisms involved in attention-
deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been funded by the
National Institutes of Health continuously since 1997. Dr. Nigg is best
known for his work in helping to characterize the neuropsychological
featuresofADHDanditssubtypes;healsostudiestemperamentaland
personality characteristics related to ADHD. He has published over 50
scientific articles on ADHD and related topics, and has presented his
workatnumerousnationalandinternationalscientificmeetingsinthe
field of children’s mental health. Dr. Nigg also serves as a reviewer for
grantsfortheNationalInstituteofMentalHealth,andisontheedito-
rial boards of several major scientific journals, including the Journal of
AbnormalPsychology,DevelopmentandPsychopathology,andtheJournalof
Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
v

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Acknowledgments
This book represents the confluence of several lines of thought and
theculminationofnumerousongoingconversationswithcolleaguesin
thefield,notallofwhomcanberecognizedhere.However,Iamespe-
cially grateful for criticisms of key sections of this book by Russell A.
Barkley (who, in addition to helpful criticism of early drafts of key
chapters, provided crucial encouragement in the early decision to go
forwardwiththebook),NaomiBreslau,KarenFriderici(whoalsogen-
erously offered the use of Figure 9.2), Kelly Klump, Tony Nunez,
David Hambrick, David Hay, Joseph Jacobson, Sandra Jacobson, Jeff
Measelle, and Erik Willcutt. I am uniquely indebted to the very gener-
ous work of Timothy Goth-Owens, who read and commented in detail
ontheentiremanuscriptinanefforttorenderitmoreaccessibletocli-
nicians. Stephen P. Hinshaw, Cynthia Huang-Pollock, and Thomas H.
Carr collaborated with me on articles that overlapped with sections of
this book, so I doubtless have derived benefits from this collabora-
tion that are not noted elsewhere. However, of particular note is
that Chapter 4 benefited a great deal from the advice of Cynthia
Huang-Pollock; the discussion of psychosocial influences draws upon
exchanges with Stephen P. Hinshaw. Benjamin B. Lahey, Joseph
Sergeant,ErikWillcutt,andmanyothercolleaguesprovidedinvaluable
discussion and encouragement related to the ideas in various parts of
the book. Kitty Moore at The Guilford Press provided crucial sugges-
tions and encouragement at key junctures in the process. As always,
despite the sharp eyes of these generous colleagues, some errors have
doubtless survived; I retain sole responsibility for those and for any
other shortcomings in this work.
vii
viii | Acknowledgments |
Work on this book was made possible by a sabbatical leave pro-
vided by Michigan State University and supported by the generous
effortsofmycolleaguesintheDepartmentofPsychology,whocovered
my teaching and administrative obligations during the sabbatical. The
data from my research described in this book were obtained with the
support of funds from the National Institute of Mental Health, includ-
ing Grant Nos. R01-MH63146 (in collaboration with John Henderson
andFernandaFerreira)andR01-MH59105.Nootherfinancialsupport
orvestedinterestundergirdsmyresearchormyworkonthisbook.Col-
lectionofthosedatawouldnothavebeenpossiblewithoutthesupport
of the Lansing community, including the Lansing School District and
in particular Marion Philips of the Office of Evaluation Services in
Lansing. Several undergraduate students as well as many dedicated
graduatestudentsinclinicalpsychologyandincognitivepsychologyat
MichiganStateworkedlonghourswithfamiliesandchildrentocollect
and help analyze those data. I am indebted to them all.
CCoonntteennttss
Contents
PART I
CONCEPTUAL CONTEXT
CHAPTER 1. ADHD’s Controversies 3
CHAPTER 2. Defining “Disorder” 30
PART II
HOW DOES ADHD WORK?
CHAPTER 3 . Neural Systems 53
CHAPTER 4. Attention and Arousal 74
CHAPTER 5. Executive Functioning or Cognitive Control 106
CHAPTER 6. Motivation 142
CHAPTER 7. Motor Control and Timing 161
PART III
WHERE DOES ADHD COME FROM?
CHAPTER 8. Multiple Pathways 175
CHAPTER 9. Genetic Effects 193
ix
x | Contents |
CHAPTER 10. Uncommon Experiential Risk Factors 221
CHAPTER 11. Common Experiential Risk Factors 266
PART IV
INTEGRATION
CHAPTER 12. Multiple Pathways Reconsidered 305
CHAPTER 13. Conclusion 329
Notes 339
References 346
Index 410