Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most common pediatric neurobehavioral disorder with a prevalence of approximately 7%-10% in school-age children. ADHD significantly affects functioning throughout life including academic achievement, social and family relationships and occupational success, predisposing individuals to secondary psychopathology, substance use, justice system involvement and suicide. Fortunately, ADHD is treatable, most effectively with a combination of medication, behavioral therapy and school-based supports. Unfortunately, many children with ADHD go undiagnosed and untreated for years, and sometimes for life, putting those children most at risk for problematic outcomes.
Category Archives: ADHD
ADHD stimulants may increase risk of heart damage in young adults, study finds
Young adults who were prescribed stimulant medications for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were significantly more likely to develop cardiomyopathy (weakened heart muscle) compared with those who were not prescribed stimulants, in a new study.
Researchers identify brain connections associated with ADHD in youth
Researchers have discovered that symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are tied to atypical interactions between the brain’s frontal cortex and information processing centers deep in the brain. The researchers examined more than 10,000 functional brain images of youth with ADHD.
‘Study drugs’ set the stage for other drug use and mental health decline
Taking ‘study drugs’ like Adderall without a diagnosis is not only dangerous in itself, but can lead to other drug use and a decline in mental health, according to new research.
Smoking during pregnancy may increase the risk of behavioral disorders in newborns, predicts AI
Although several studies have linked smoking during pregnancy with neurodevelopmental disorders, the results of behavioral experiments in mice prenatally exposed to nicotine have been inconsistent. In a recent study, scientists from Japan developed a deep learning-based framework to automatically observe and classify mice behavior in such experiments, producing more accurate and unbiased results. They show that prenatal exposure to nicotine could increase the risk of autism spectrum- and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders in newborns.
Early vocabulary size is genetically linked to ADHD, literacy, and cognition
Are genetic factors underlying children’s language development linked to later-life outcomes? In a genome-wide analysis, an international research team found genetic associations between children’s early vocabulary size and later-life ADHD, literacy, and general cognition. These associations changed dynamically across the first three years of life. Both producing more words in infancy and understanding fewer words in toddlerhood were associated with a higher risk of ADHD.
AI may aid in diagnosing adolescents with ADHD
Using artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze specialized brain MRI scans of adolescents with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), researchers found significant differences in nine brain white matter tracts in individuals with ADHD.
New distractibility ‘d factor’ may be linked with ADHD
In a study of different types of distraction involving more than 1,000 participants, researchers statistically derived a novel measure — dubbed the ‘d factor’ — that could represent a person’s general tendency towards distraction and may be linked with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Youngest children in class with ADHD as likely to keep diagnosis in adulthood as older pupils, find scientists
Youngest children in their class with ADHD are just as likely to keep the diagnosis when enter adulthood as older pupils in their year group. In the past, scientists have questioned the validity of ADHD in younger pupils, arguing they are only diagnosed because they are less mature than their peers. But this study shows that these children are no more likely to lose ADHD diagnosis over time than those born towards the start of the school year.
Adults with ADHD are at increased risk for developing dementia
Adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are nearly three times more likely to develop dementia than adults without ADHD, according to a new study. The study followed more than 100,000 older adults in Israel over 17 years to examine if adults with ADHD are at increased risk for dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.
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