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Health News:ADHD

Folate Levels in Pregnancy Tied to ADHD in Offspring

November 4, 2009

TUESDAY, Nov. 3 (HealthDay News) — Low folate levels during pregnancy are associated with higher odds for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in offspring aged 7 to 9, new research has found.

The findings seem to support the long-held belief that folate (folic acid) levels in expectant mothers influence their children’s nervous system development.

The researchers also found that children of mothers with low folate levels had notably smaller head circumference at birth, which may indicate a slower rate of prenatal brain growth. Read More

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Childhood ADHD Linked to Criminal Behavior in Adults

October 19, 2009

MONDAY, Oct. 19 (HealthDay News) — Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more likely than other children to engage in criminal activity when they grow older, a U.S. study has found.

The study included more than 10,000 adolescents who were later surveyed in adulthood. It found that youngsters with ADHD were twice as likely to commit theft later in life and were 50 percent more likely to sell drugs. Read More

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Motivation May Be at Root of ADHD

September 9, 2009

TUESDAY, Sept. 8 (HealthDay News) — The trouble concentrating that affects people with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) might be related to motivation, a new study has found.

The motivational problems seen with the condition, which is often associated with children but can persist into adulthood, appear to stem from a reduction in dopamine, an important neurotransmitter in the nervous system that is considered a hallmark of ADHD.

“ADHD is traditionally a disease where people think the disruption is in attention and hyperactivity,” said Dr. Nora D. Volkow, director of the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse and lead researcher on the study. “So, the whole focus on research and treatment has been on attention — with kids who cannot pay attention or are hyperactive.” Read More

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Intuniv Approved for Pediatric ADHD

September 8, 2009

THURSDAY, Sept. 3 (HealthDay News) — Intuniv (guanfacine) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in people aged 6 to 17, drug maker Shire Plc said Thursday.

The once-daily drug, to be available in 1-to-4 mg. strengths, is expected on pharmacy shelves in November, the company said in a news release. The way it works is unclear, but the drug is thought to directly engage receptors in the brain’s prefrontal cortex, an area that has been linked to the disorder. Read More

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Abuse of ADHD Drugs on the Rise

August 24, 2009

MONDAY, Aug. 24 (HealthDay News) — As more and more prescriptions are being written for medications to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), more and more children are abusing these drugs.

That’s the conclusion of new research in the September issue of Pediatrics that found the rate of ADHD medication abuse was up 76 percent from 1998 to 2005, and at the same time, the rates of prescriptions for these medications rose about 80 percent. Read More

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Hundreds of Genes Could Be Linked to ADHD

June 25, 2009

THURSDAY, June 25 (HealthDay News) — Hundreds of gene variations that may be associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been identified by U.S. researchers.

Many of these genes were known to be involved in learning, behavior, brain function and neurodevelopment, but this is the first study to link them to ADHD. The findings appear in the June 23 online edition of Molecular Psychiatry.

“Because the gene alterations we found are involved in the development of the nervous system, they may eventually guide researchers to better targets in designing early intervention for children with ADHD,” study author Dr. Josephine Elia, a psychiatrist and ADHD expert at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said in a school news release. Read More

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Study Links ADHD Stimulants to Rare, Unexplained Deaths in Children

June 15, 2009
ritalin-adhd-deaths
By Amanda MacMillan

MONDAY, June 15, 2009 (Health.com) — After years of speculation and rare case reports, a study suggests that stimulant medication—mostly used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)—may have played a role in a handful of cases of sudden, unexplained death in children and adolescents.

The study authors stress, however, that parents and doctors should not refrain from treating children with ADHD just because of these results. Read More

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Study: ADHD Drugs May Help Boost Child’s Test Scores

April 27, 2009
By Denise Mann

MONDAY, April 27, 2009 (Health.com) — New York City mom Nancie Steinberg recently received some great news at a parent-teacher conference for her 11-year-old son. The medication that her fifth grader takes to treat his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) seemed to be making a difference in the classroom. “The teachers always had to have him by their right kneecap to keep him focused, but now they feel that he is very focused, an active participant and overall his academics are better,” she says, breathing a sigh of relief.

Now, if a new study is correct, these improvements may actually spill over to his performance on standardized math and reading tests. Elementary school-aged children with ADHD who take medication seem to do better on such standardized tests than their non-medicated peers with ADHD, according to a study in the May issue of Pediatrics. Read More

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Drug Used to Enhance Memory May Be Addictive

March 17, 2009
positron-emission-tomography

Getty Images
By Anne Harding

TUESDAY, March 17, 2009 — Modafinil, a narcolepsy drug used illicitly by an increasing number of people to enhance mental performance, could be addictive, according to a small study of 10 people who underwent high-tech brain scans.

Modafinil is also prescribed to shift workers to help them stay awake and to people with fatigue due to sleep apnea, multiple sclerosis, or other conditions. It is sometimes used “off-label” to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), although the Food and Drug Administration declined to approve the drug for ADHD due to concerns about potentially life-threatening skin reactions. Read More

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Study: Sleep Problems, ADHD Can Go Hand in Hand

March 4, 2009
adhd-sleep-child 

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By Anne Harding

WEDNESDAY, March 4, 2009 (Health.com) — Children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) sleep less, spend less time in the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep, and have a harder time falling asleep than youngsters without attention problems, according to new research published this week in the journal Sleep.

Experts say that making an extra effort to ensure a child gets enough sleep, such as being relatively strict about bedtimes, could help reduce his or her symptoms. “Be a detective, and look for what specifically is going on,” says Judith Owens, MD, who directs the pediatric sleep clinic and the ADHD clinic at Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island, and was not involved in the new study. “It’s really important to try to uncover what the underlying issue is.” Read More

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