Social cognition in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with a range of cognitive deficits and social cognition impairments, which might be interpreted in the context of fronto-striatal dysfunction. So far only few studies have addressed the issue of social cognition deficits in ADHD.

Method: Medline and Psyclit searches were performed for a 30-year period (1979-2009) using the words 'ADHD' and 'social cognition', 'theory of mind', 'prosody', 'face perception', 'humour' or 'social information processing'. Inclusion criteria consisted of a diagnosis according to DSM as well as the inclusion of a control group or a follow-up assessment following the treatment with methylphenidate.

Results: ADHD is clearly associated with social cognition impairments involving emotional face and prosody perception. Although the database is sparse so far, there is some evidence for theory of mind deficits and reduced empathy in ADHD.

Conclusions: In summary, the social cognition impairments are consistent with fronto-striatal dysfunction in ADHD, but other functional networks of brain areas also appear to be implicated.