Time and psychostimulants: Opposing long-term structural effects in the adult ADHD brain. A longitudinal MR study

Long-term effects of psychostimulants such as methylphenidate on ADHD patients have been proved to be difficult to capture in cross-sectional studies comparing medicated and non-medicated samples and in longitudinal studies with children, with age-related maturational processes possibly confounding independent effects of medication. However, chronic psychostimulant administration at therapeutic doses has been proven to yield profound neuroadaptive changes in rodent models. Here, we present for the first time the effect of psychostimulant treatment on brain volumes in a sample of medication-na ïve adult ADHD patients.

Source: European Neuropsychopharmacology - November 9, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Clara Pretus, J. Antoni Ramos-Quiroga, Vanessa Richarte, Montse Corrales, Marisol Picado, Susanna Carmona, Óscar Vilarroya Source Type: research