🧠 How does ADHD medication affect the adult brain?
A recent hopeful new brain imaging study explored how long-term ADHD medication (stimulant use) impacts brain structure in adults with ADHD.
👥 Who participated?
The study involved 26 adults with ADHD:
🔹 13 had received stimulant medication (like methylphenidate or dextroamphetamine)
🔹 13 had never taken ADHD medication
🧩 Key findings:
- 🧠 Treated adults showed more complex brain surface features (higher folding, sulcal depth, and fractal patterns), especially in:
👉 Supplementary motor area
👉 Orbitofrontal cortex
👉 Fusiform gyrus - 🧠 Medication-naïve adults had greater cortical thickness in certain areas — possibly showing the brain’s own ways of adapting without treatment.
- ❌ Despite these brain differences, no significant improvement in ADHD symptoms was found in the medicated group.
- 💡 “Venturesomeness” (a trait linked to risk-taking) was higher in untreated participants and linked to different brain areas only in the treated group.
📌 Conclusion:
Stimulants may reshape the adult ADHD brain, but do not guarantee clinical improvement. More long-term research is needed to understand who benefits — and how.
Link to the study:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925492725000472
