Manual dexterity and strength and in young adults with and without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Alexandra C. Fietsam, Jacqueline R. Tucker, Manjeshwar Sahana Kamath, Cynthia Huang-Pollock, Zheng Wang, Kristina A. Neely

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Manual motor deficits are common in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); however, it is unclear whether these impairments persist into adulthood. The aim of this study was to examine manual dexterity and strength in young adults with ADHD aged 18–25 years. Sixty-one individuals with confirmed ADHD and 56 adults without ADHD completed Purdue Pegboard tasks for manual dexterity and maximal hand- and pinch-grip tests for strength. In the Purdue Pegboard task, participants placed pins using the right, left, and both-hands, respectively. In addition, participants built assemblies using pins, washers, and collars with alternating hand movements. The results demonstrated that women without ADHD out-performed the other three groups in the right-hand, bimanual, and assembly PPB tasks. Both maximal hand strength tests demonstrated that men were stronger than women, but no differences were observed between adults with and without ADHD. The current findings suggest that adults with ADHD may have deficits in manual dexterity and tasks requiring bimanual coordination.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number136349
JournalNeuroscience letters
Volume766
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2022

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Neuroscience

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