Methylphenidate significantly improves neurocognitive impairments in children with ADHD

Sevim Berrin Inci Izmir; Melis Ipci; Eyüp Sabri Ercan

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2022.114492

Methylphenidate significantly improves neurocognitive impairments in children with ADHD

Psychiatry Res. 2022 May:311:114492. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2022.114492. Epub 2022 Mar 6.

Authors

Sevim Berrin Inci Izmir¹, Melis Ipci², Eyüp Sabri Ercan³

Affiliations

¹ Isik University, Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychology Department, Istanbul, Turkey. Electronic address: inciberrin@gmail.com.
² Hasan Kalyoncu University, Psychology Department, Gaziantep, Turkey.
³ Ege University, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, Medical Faculty, Izmir, Turkey.

PMID: 35306379
DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2022.114492

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effects of methylphenidate (MPH) on scores on a neurocognitive test battery for individuals with various presentations of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the effect of comorbidities on executive function. This study included 861 children and adolescents aged 7-17 years who were diagnosed with ADHD according to DSM-V criteria. The CNS Vital Signs Battery was utilized to compare the neuropsychological characteristics and MPH treatment responses of patients with predominantly inattentive (ADHD-I) and combined (ADHD-C) presentations of ADHD. Before MPH administration, a statistically significant difference was observed between groups only for complex attention. In addition, the overall prevalence rate of psychiatric comorbidities was 45.5%, and no statistically significant differences were found in the ADHD-I group pre- versus post-MPH administration. Prior to the administration of MPH, statistically significant differences were observed within the ADHD-C group between those with or without comorbidities. However, after MPH administration, these differences between the groups disappeared. The effects of MPH on improving scores on neuropsychological subtests were similar between the groups with different presentations of ADHD. Additionally, MPH treatment was effective despite the presence of comorbidities.

Keywords: ADHD; Comorbidity; Methylphenidate; Neurocognitive test battery; Presentations of ADHD.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity* / complications
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity* / drug therapy
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity* / psychology
Central Nervous System Stimulants* / pharmacology
Central Nervous System Stimulants* / therapeutic use
Child
Comorbidity
Executive Function
Humans
Methylphenidate* / pharmacology
Methylphenidate* / therapeutic use
Treatment Outcome

Substances

Central Nervous System Stimulants
Methylphenidate