Assessing Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Post-9/11 Veterans: Prevalence, Measurement Correspondence, and Comorbidity With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Introduction: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is common among Veterans but overlapping symptoms with other prevalent psychiatric disorders (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD]) complicate diagnosis.

Metabolic syndrome is associated with reduced default mode network functional connectivity in young post-9/11 Veterans.

Metabolic syndrome is a collection of health factors that increases risk for cardiovascular disease. A condition of aging, metabolic syndrome is associated with reduced brain network integrity, including functional connectivity alterations among the default mode, regions vulnerable to neurodegeneration. Prevalence of metabolic syndrome is elevated in younger populations including post-9/11 Veterans and individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder, but it is unclear whether metabolic syndrome affects brain function in earlier adulthood.

Negative global metacognitive biases are associated with depressive and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and improve with targeted or game-based cognitive training.

Objective: Metacognition is disrupted in several clinical populations. One aspect of metacognition, global metacognitive bias (difference between objective and self-reported abilities), has shown to be particularly relevant to clinical functioning. However, previous studies of global metacognitive biases in populations with elevated depressive/posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms have not measured objective and self-reported abilities relative to normative samples, limiting the quantification of biases.