Rolandic spikes increase impulsivity in ADHD – A neuropsychological pilot study

The present study was designed to examine the association of Rolandic spikes with the neuropsychological profile of children with ADHD. A total of 48 children (mean age 9.4 ± 1.6 years, range 6.7–14.9 years; 16 ADHD children with Rolandic spikes, 16 ADHD children without epileptiform discharges and 16 healthy controls) matched for age, gender, and IQ were examined with a neuropsychological assessment battery focussing on attentional processing, cognitive efficiency, response inhibition, visuospatial and auditory-verbal short-term memory and language function (CPT-AX, Stroop, digit span, Complex Figure of Rey, Heidelberg Language Development Test). ADHD children with Rolandic spikes performed worse than ADHD children without epileptiform discharges and healthy controls in a variety of CPT and Stroop test measures. In particular, they made significantly more commission errors, reflecting impaired inhibition of an ongoing response. In addition, they had pronounced difficulties in the color word condition of the Stroop test and exhibited lower interference scores, indicating poorer interference control. Results of this pilot study suggest that in some ADHD children Rolandic spikes or an associated dysfunction aggravate the course of ADHD and predispose to increased impulsivity, evidenced in deficient inhibition of an ongoing response, and decreased interference control.