Using virtual reality to define the mechanisms linking symptoms with cognitive deficits in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

The mechanisms underpinning attentional deficits are only partially understood. Here we ask if shifts in a child’s field of view (FOV) act as a mediator between symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and associated cognitive anomalies, particularly in attentional processes. Real time measurement of shifts in FOV were obtained on 85 children (mean age 9.4 (SD 1.9) years; 45 with DSM 5-defined ADHD) as they completed the continuous performance task in a “virtual classroom”. We extracted measures reflecting focused and selective attention across the task, along with diffusion modelling of latent cognitive processes of information uptake, response conservativeness and non-decision time. Mediation analyses showed that shifts in FOV partially mediated the relationship between hyperactive impulsive symptoms and both poor focused attention and information uptake. Performance accuracy decreased and shifts in FOV increased during the task, but these changes over time did not differ by symptom severity. Employing virtual reality and mediation analysis, we implicate shifts in FOV as a mechanism linking symptoms of ADHD and deficits in focused attention and in the gathering of information to make decisions. The identification of mediating mechanisms might provide new targets for intervention.