Stimulants for ADHD work differently than previously thought by boosting arousal and reward systems in the brain, not attention, and by reversing symptoms of sleep deprivation, according to new research.
Stimulants for ADHD work differently than previously thought by boosting arousal and reward systems in the brain, not attention, and by reversing symptoms of sleep deprivation, according to new research.
The researchers compared the resting-state functional MRI data of 5,795 children aged 8 to 11 years who participated in the. They found that children who took stimulants the day of the fMRI scan showed increased activity in brain regions related to arousal and reward, but no notable changes in regions connected to attention.pre-reward our brains and allow us to keep working at things that wouldn’t normally hold our interest — like our least favorite class in school, for example,” lead author Nico U. Dosenbach, M.D., Ph.D., said in a statement.who took a stimulant medication received better grades in school and performed better on cognitive tests than did children with ADHD who were not taking stimulants.. In essence, ADHD hyperactivity may be less about having an abundance of energy and more about seeking stimulation and reward. “Whatever kids can’t focus on — those tasks that make them fidgety — are tasks that they find unrewarding,” Dosenbach said. “On a stimulant, they can sit still because they’re not getting up to find something better to do.”Another key finding from the study is that stimulant medications may mimic the benefits of a good night’s sleep. “We saw that if a participant didn’t sleep enough, but they took a stimulant, the brain signature of insufficient sleep was erased, as were the associated behavioral and cognitive decrements,” Dosenbach said. The ABCD Study reported that children who got less than the recommended nine hours or more of sleep per night and took a stimulant received better grades in school than children who got insufficient sleep and did not take a stimulant. They also received the same grades as well-rested children who did not take a stimulant. Children with poor sleep may have shown improved academic performance when taking stimulants, but the researchers caution that stimulants do not cure the effects of chronic “While our results appear to show that the cognitive performance of sleep-deprived children benefited from stimulants, we caution that mounting evidence points to cumulative health consequences of long-term sleep deprivation, including increased risk ofSigns of sleep deprivation, such as difficulty paying attention or poor working memory, overlap with ADHD symptoms and may lead to children being misdiagnosed with ADHD when the actual problem is insufficient sleep. The researchers stress that findings from the study shouldn’t undermine clinicians’ confidence in the effectiveness of stimulants for ADHD. However, it’s important to rule out factors like sleep deprivation before turning to medication. “Sleep disturbance is a common comorbidity of ADHD and a common complication of stimulant treatment; therefore, clinicians should screen for sleep disturbance in children with ADHD both before and after prescribing a stimulant,” they wrote.“We know that teens with ADHD are more likely than their peers without ADHD to get insufficient sleep on school nights,” said Stephen Becker, Ph.D., in his “We’ve also shown that poor sleep impacts academics, including academic performance, organization, and lower grades based on report cards that we’ve acquired from schools and college institutions,” Becker said. “In some of our work with young teens, even after we account for a teen’s initial levels of depressive symptoms or oppositional behaviors, those teens who had sleep problems went on to experience an increase in depressive symptoms and oppositional behaviors.” The researchers recommend that future long-term studies evaluate whether stimulant users are less likely to get adequate sleep and measure the cumulative effects of sleep loss over the lifespan. In addition, further research is needed into the long-term effects of stimulant use on brain function and whether stimulants increase task-“The ABCD cohort includes a mix of children taking different stimulant medications and diagnosed with different ADHD subtypes; however, it is not powered to investigate the effects of specific medications or ADHD subtypes,” they wrote. “Variability in scan duration and the lack of precise data on timing and formulation of stimulant administration limited our ability to account for pharmacokinetic effects in the ABCD cohort, potentially leading to an underestimation of stimulant effects on fMRI connectivity.”Kay, B.P., Wheelock, M.D., Siegel, J.S., Barch, D.M., et al. . Stimulant medications affect arousal and reward, not attention networks. Braga, R.M., Wilson, L.R., Sharp, D.J. . . Separable networks for top-down attention to auditory non-spatial and visuospatial modalities. Farr, O.M., Zhang, S., Hu, S., et al. . The effects of methylphenidate on resting-state striatal, thalamic and global functional connectivity in healthy adults. Yang, F.N., Xie, W., Wang, Z., et al. . Effects of sleep duration on neurocognitive development in early adolescents in the USA: a propensity score matched, longitudinal, observational study. Sung, V., Hiscock, H., Sciberras, E., Efron, D. . Sleep problems in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: prevalence and the effect on the child and family.Stay informed with trusted information, resources, and support delivered straight to your inbox. Choose the newsletters that interest you most.
Adhd Symptoms Asd Add Adhd Test Adhd Medication Executive Dysfunction Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria Adhd In Women Signs Of Adhd Autism Anxiety Depression Bipolar Disorder Oppositional Defiant Disorder OCD Trauma Sleep Disorders Eating Disorders
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
When is the German IFO Survey and how it could affect EUR/USD?Germany’s IFO institute will publish its business survey for January on Monday at 09:00 GMT.
Read more »
Paris Hilton says ADHD is her 'superpower' as an entrepreneurBusiness Insider tells the global tech, finance, stock market, media, economy, lifestyle, real estate, AI and innovative stories you want to know.
Read more »
Most Americans have no idea how tax law changes will affect their paychecks: pollToday's Video Headlines: 01/26/26
Read more »
How similarities and differences with colleagues and leaders affect us at work.Everyone brings their own personality to work. Some colleagues feel familiar, while others seem completely different. But how does that affect our work lives?
Read more »
Asking Eric: Friend’s ADHD diagnosis causes conflictJoe Nguyen is a digital strategist for The Denver Post. Previously he was the online prep sports editor. Prior to that, he covered Adams County and Aurora in the YourHub section. He has previously covered Colorado’s Asian-American communities as editor for Asian Avenue magazine and AsiaXpress.com.
Read more »
Asking Eric: My friend’s ADHD is taking a toll on our relationshipAdvice from R. Eric Thomas.
Read more »