Executive functions of inhibition and Processing Speed as indicators of mental health

Abstract

Interest in using inhibitory Executive Functions (EFs) and Processing Speed (PS) as endophenotypes of different psychopathologies has been growing in recent years. Several mental disorders have shown strong relationships with some factors of these processes. For that reason, this study is aimed to identify the relationships between the EFs of inhibition and PS among different comorbid psychopathologies in young adults with and without Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), addressing the role of EFs and PS in the prediction of various mental illnesses. Method: An analysis with 92 participants (Age Mean ± SD = 20.38 ± 1.81) is presented using Structural Equation Modeling with Partial Least Squares (PLS-SEM), multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) between three groups, one with ADD, one with attention complaint and the other as Control group. Furthermore, multiple logistic regressions are performed between different psychopathologies and some indicators of inhibitory EFs and PS. Results: A model was identified with predictive relevance to address the interaction between the inhibitory EFs, concerning the internalizing and externalizing dimensions of psychopathology. Some relationships between EFs and PS with different psychopathologies have been found in the analyses. A significant effect of ADD interacting with a general factor of psychopathology was identified in the performance of those processes. Conclusions: EFs of inhibition prove to be potential predictors of the appearance of comorbid psychopathologies. Results are discussed in terms of the presumed neurological mechanisms involved and the potential role of these functions in predicting mental health.