Research
In honor of (or in spite of) my recent concussion, here's a study on the increased rate of head injury and accidents in adults with ADHD. The study looked at the health, pharmaceutical, and disability claims for 100,000 employees and their families. Children (28% vs 18%), adolescents (32% vs. 23%), and adults (38% vs. 18%) with ADHD [...]
A study by Pelham and Wymbs (2008) in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology found that 23% percent of parents with an ADHD child had divorced by the child's 8th birthday, compared to 13% of the parents without an ADHD child. Keep in mind that people with ADHD are more likely to divorce than those [...]
Across 29 studies, St. John's Wort was found to be more effective than placebo and just as effective as Prozac in treating mild to moderate depression. However, it should be noted that the researchers stated that some of the smaller German studies may have had "over-optimistic results". Keep in mind that in some countries, like Germany, [...]
A study examined if polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA - Omegas 3,6 & 9) and multivitamins/minerals (MVM) affected cognition in children with ADHD. Children were divided into three groups: one group had PUFA plus MVM, one group had just PUFA, and one group had neither. After 15 weeks, they were then all given the PUFA plus MVM treatment [...]
Stimulant medication reduced sleep latency (the amount of time between going to bed and falling asleep), and reduced the amount of times people awoke in the middle of the night. Study participants also reported improvement with their sleep pattern. They felt they were more refreshed upon awakening. Study subjects took methylphenidate twice a day. It could [...]
In 2003, we were a site that participated in conducting a clinical trial for Secretin. The purpose of the study was to determine safety and efficacy of Secretin versus placebo in the treatment of Autism symptoms. Unfortunately, the study results found that there was no difference in symptom change between children on Secretin and those on placebo. Here's an article on [...]
When you have to have the newest tech gadget or go skydiving for the first time, your ventral striatum may be the culprit. The ventral striatum is also the section of the brain where drug and alcohol use induces the release of dopamine. In addition, compared to people without ADHD, people with ADHD have reduced activation in the ventral [...]
NS2359 is a mixed monoamine reuptake inhibitor. A study looked at the efficacy of NS2359 versus placebo in a double-blind randomized trial. There was no statistical difference in the total ADHD-RS scale score between those taking NS2359 and placebo. However, when looking at the inattentive type of ADHD, 41% of those who took NS2359 had an [...]
ABT-894 is a drug that is currently undergoing clinical trials for possible approval by the FDA for the treatment of adult ADHD. Drugs have to undergo specific study phases and must demonstrate safety and efficacy before they are approved by the FDA. ABT-894 is a neuronal nictotinic receptor (NNR) modulator. NNRs modulate the release of neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine and [...]
I'm reading ADHD in Adults (Barkley, Murphy, & Fischer, 2008) for a book review. The authors list the kids' game Simon as a test of executive function impairment in ADHD. Of course! That's a great idea! This is the electronic game where a sequence of colors is given to you, and you have to repeat it [...]