ADHD in the News 2019-10-31

Cycles of reward: New insight into ADHD treatment

Researchers have investigated the actions of the drug in rats. Using dopamine cell recordings, electrochemical monitoring and computer modeling, they discovered a type of feedback loop that modulates dopamine levels in the rats' brains in response to the drug. This regulatory process may shed light on methylphenidate's therapeutic properties in ADHD.



Acetaminophen Implicated Again in Autism, ADHD – But study had many limitations

Among 996 mother-child pairs, those with higher levels of acetaminophen exposure -- measured through biomarkers in cord blood at delivery -- the chances that offspring would be diagnosed later with ADHD or ASD were significantly greater, reported Xiaobin Wang, MD, MPH, of Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland, and colleagues in JAMA Psychiatry.



Why Women With ADHD Are More At Risk Of Gaslighting & Coercive Control

Tracey’s husband took advantage of the fact she has ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), accusing her of losing things and making her question herself. "I would scrabble for words [and] he’d say that he had to 'hurry me', putting more pressure on me." This gradual psychological manipulation to make someone doubt themselves is known as gaslighting and women with ADHD are more at risk than neurotypical women.



ADHD and Student-Teacher Conflict

There’s a new study out suggesting that children with ADHD are less academically engaged, and that the difference is partly down to student-teacher conflict. In other words, troubled student-teacher relationships aren’t the only reason students with ADHD are less engaged with school, but they seem to be a factor.



Turn Your To-Do List Into an Action Plan and Get Things Done

Organize the kitchen. Clean out the garage. Get to the gym. Send out thank you cards. Meal prep for the week. Pay the bills. ADHDers often have lots they’d like to get done, but somehow their to-do lists never get any shorter. Why? Because simply deciding to do something isn’t enough. You need an action plan that includes the What, How, Where, When, Who, and Why for each task on your list.



UNL Researcher Focuses On Horse Therapy For ADHD And Autism

A professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Michelle Howell-Smith, is looking at the benefits of equine therapy as a way to help relieve stress and social anxiety from people with mental conditions and physical limitations. The research was spurred by her own daughter, who has autism, who benefited from equine therapy.



Kennedy Krieger program seeks to highlight benefits of ‘Neurodiversity@Work’

Kennedy Krieger Institute’s mission is to serve children, adults and families who have been impacted by neurological differences, disorders and disease. Our patients and students with special needs demonstrate quite effectively the full range of traits and conditions that, collectively, are described as neurodiversity.



Marijuana May Not Be So Effective For Mental Health Issues, Study Finds

For people using cannabinoid medications to treat mental health issues, a new study may take the wind out of your sails. It finds that in general, the different versions of medicinal cannabis don’t have any clear therapeutic benefit for a range of disorders—in fact, the authors conclude, the risks may well outweigh the benefits.