Executive dysfunction

Executive dysfunction is difficulty regulating goal-directed thought and behavior, including planning, inhibition, working memory, and flexible problem-solving. It can arise from neurological conditions, psychiatric disorders, or other causes.

Executive functions: A set of cognitive processes that regulate goal-directed thought and behavior. Dysfunction describes impairment in this broader set of control processes.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A neurodevelopmental disorder involving persistent inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity. Executive difficulties are common in ADHD but are not unique to it.
Prefrontal cortex: The frontal cerebral cortex involved in planning, decision-making, and control of behavior. Prefrontal systems contribute to executive functions, though they are not the whole explanation.
Intellectual disability: A neurodevelopmental condition involving limitations in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior. Executive dysfunction can occur without the broad intellectual and adaptive limitations defining this diagnosis.
Working memory: The ability to maintain and manipulate information over short periods. Limited working memory can make multi-step tasks difficult to keep in mind.
Traumatic brain injury: An acquired brain injury caused by an external mechanical force. Frontal and distributed network damage after injury can impair executive control.
Frontoparietal network: A brain network linking frontal and parietal regions during flexible, goal-directed control. Its coordinated activity supports control across changing tasks and demands.
Dementia: A syndrome of acquired cognitive decline that interferes with independent daily functioning. Executive dysfunction is one possible feature, not a synonym for dementia.
Inhibitory control: The ability to suppress a prepotent response or resist distraction. Weak inhibition can allow impulses or irrelevant stimuli to interrupt goals.
Frontal lobe syndrome: A pattern of behavioral and cognitive changes following damage to frontal brain systems. It is a more specific clinical pattern in which executive dysfunction may be prominent.

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