[Impaired time perception in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder].

Abstract

Objective: To examine time perception in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and evaluate the effectiveness of Pantogam in relation to the main symptoms of the disease and the disorder of time perception.

Material and methods: 86 children with ADHD aged 10-13 years were observed. The study group included 56 children with a combined type of ADHD (ADHD-C) and 30 children with a predominance of inattention without hyperactivity (ADD). The control group consisted of 30 children aged 10 to 13 years without psychoneurological disorders. The following research methods were used in the work: the SNAP-IY questionnaire for a quantitative assessment of ADHD manifestations, the «Working Memory» method for assessing working memory, tasks for assessing and measuring time intervals, and a study using the «subjective minute» method to assess time perception disorders. Pantogam was used in a dose of 750 mg per day for 8 weeks to treat children with ADHD.

Results: According to the SNAP-IY scale, the level of inattention in the study groups was significantly higher than the level of inattention in the control group, and the level of hyperactivity and impulsivity was significantly higher in children with ADHD-C compared to the ADHD group and the control group. When assessing working memory, a reliable decrease in the level of this indicator was found in children with both types of ADHD compared to the control group. Difficulties with time management, as assessed by parents, were noted in 88.4% of children in the study group and 36.7% of children in the control group. These disorders were especially pronounced in tasks requiring sustained attention (96.4% of children with ADHD-C and 73.3% of children with ADD). According to the results of tests for time perception, disturbances in time perception were revealed in both groups of children with ADHD. In ADHD-C, tachychrony was more pronounced, and for patients with ADD, it was typical to overestimate the elapsed time. When re-evaluating the condition of 56 children with ADHD-C after the end of the course of treatment with Pantogam, an improvement in the form of a reliable decrease in inattention and impulsivity, an improvement in working memory was recorded in 55.4% of cases. During a repeated study after the course of treatment, an improvement in time perception was also recorded.

Conclusion: Children with ADHD, in addition to the main symptoms (inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity), significantly more often have pronounced problems with time management, and the normalizing effect of drugs for the treatment of ADHD is manifested not only in relation to the main symptoms of the disease, but also in relation to the normalization of time perception.