McGowan, Niall M. (2017) Evaluating sleep and circadian rhythm disturbances and symptoms of impulsivity and inattention: Implications for adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. PhD thesis, National University of Ireland Maynooth.
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Abstract
Reports of sleep disturbances and delayed sleep timing in attentiondeficit/
hyperactivity-disorder (ADHD) are common however the aetiology of such
features is poorly understood. There is substantial evidence pointing to dysfunction
of the circadian timing system in ADHD, and individual differences in human
chronotype and diurnal preference have been linked with impulsivity and attention
problems in adults. In the work presented here we examined associations between a
later circadian phase of entrainment, impaired sleep quality, and circadian
misalignment and how they relate to core symptoms of ADHD distributed among
the general population. We report novel evidence which suggests that ‘social jetlag’ –
an index of circadian misalignment arising from discordance between endogenous
circadian timing and the timing of the social clock – is a consistent predictor of
poorer ADHD-like symptom outcomes. Furthermore, objective assessment of the
rest-activity rhythm and sleep intervals of subjects show that a failure to precisely
entrain to the 24 h circadian period is associated with ADHD-like symptom severity
which was in turn predicted by delayed circadian phase/sleep phase, sleep quality,
and duration. Candidate gene approaches did not replicate previous findings linking
symptoms of impulsivity, inattention, and later chronotype with elements of the core
molecular clock. However, we did find differential susceptibility to the previously
identified risk factors; poor sleep quality and social jetlag which were both modified
by genotype. Preliminary data from an exploratory study examining the
neurophysiological correlates of response inhibition and selective attention revealed
interesting patters of ERP elicitation in individuals with high levels of social jetlag.
The current findings highlight how examination of sleep and circadian rhythm
disturbances associated with ADHD may inform our understanding of the disorder
risk and might in the future be factored into interventions designed for better
symptom management.
Item Type: | Thesis (PhD) |
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Keywords: | Evaluating sleep; circadian rhythm disturbances; impulsivity; inattention; adult attention-deficit; hyperactivity disorder; |
Academic Unit: | Faculty of Science and Engineering > Psychology |
Item ID: | 12111 |
Depositing User: | IR eTheses |
Date Deposited: | 08 Jan 2020 14:46 |
URI: | https://mu.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/12111 |
Use Licence: | This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here |
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