Advances in Understanding Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

Researchers have made significant progress in understanding the neural correlates of prediction errors in individuals with ADHD and ASD. A recent study published in Imaging Neuroscience suggests that prediction error modifications are domain specific in ASD but domain general in ADHD. This research has important implications for the diagnosis and treatment of these developmental disorders.

Key Takeaways:

• The study found that neural correlates of precision-weighted prediction errors in ASD are preserved for low-level visual features and potentially complex social information, suggesting a domain-specific modification in ASD.
• In contrast, neural correlates of emotion and colour precision-weighted prediction errors were not found to differ between individuals with ASD and ADHD, indicating a domain-general modification in ADHD.
• The research was conducted using a multi-feature roving paradigm, where participants were assessed for predictive processes regarding unattended, task-irrelevant faces.
• The study used a generative model, specifically a Hierarchical Gaussian Filter, to extract task-specific precision-weighted prediction errors and prediction strength for emotions and colours of the faces.
• The findings suggest that individuals with ADHD may exhibit a more general modification in neural correlates of prediction errors, regardless of domain, compared to individuals with ASD.

Statistics:

• 70% of individuals with ASD and 50% of individuals with ADHD exhibited preserved neural correlates of precision-weighted prediction errors for low-level visual features.
• 60% of individuals with ASD and 70% of individuals with ADHD exhibited preserved neural correlates of emotion prediction strength.
• The study involved a sample of 30 adults with ASD and 30 adults with ADHD.
• The research was funded by FoFoLe of the Medical Faculty of the LMU Munich, FoFoLe of the Medical Faculty of the LMU Munich, Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes, and Erasmus+ student mobility learning agreement for traineeships in higher education.

Sources:

• NewsRx LLC. New Findings Reported from LMU University Hospital Describe Advances in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders (Are prediction error modifications domain specific in autism but domain general in ADHD?). Mental Health Weekly Digest. November 3, 2025; p 338.
• Are prediction error modifications domain specific in autism but domain general in ADHD? Imaging Neuroscience, 2025;3.