ADHD drugs work by affecting reward and wakefulness, study finds

A new Cell study using brain scans from nearly 5,800 children found that stimulant medications like Ritalin and Adderall increase activity in brain reward and wakefulness regions rather than attention circuits, and the drugs helped children with ADHD and those who slept less than recommended.

A recent study published in Cell used brain imaging from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study to examine how stimulant medications affect children's brains. Researchers compared scans from children who took prescription stimulants on the day of their scan with those who did not. The analysis included almost 5,800 children ages 8 to 11 and found that stimulants altered activity in reward and wakefulness centers rather than in classic attention circuits. The report also highlighted links between sleep and measures related to ADHD. Key findings: - The study found increased activity in brain reward and wakefulness regions in children who took stimulants on the day of scanning, with no corresponding changes observed in attention networks. Researchers compared images from children who took prescription stimulants that day with those who did not. - The medications were reported to help children diagnosed with ADHD and also helped children who slept less than the recommended amount, while they did not improve school performance for children without ADHD who were well-rested. - External experts quoted in the article emphasized that sleep disturbances are common in ADHD and noted that non-stimulant treatments such as atomoxetine exist; some experts urged attention to sleep and behavioral approaches alongside medication when discussing the condition. Summary: The study challenges the long-standing view that stimulants primarily act on attention circuitry and instead points to reward and wakefulness systems as key targets, with sleep emerging as an important factor in ADHD-related outcomes. Undetermined at this time.