Frontier mental health research: psychedelics & drug studies

Each month our editorial team sifts through hundreds of papers and curates notable findings—for practitioners and informed readers who want to stay current with the evidence. Subscribe to the monthly Research Digest for expert analysis and concise summaries of key papers.

3 papers

The Worldwide Prevalence of ADHD: A Systematic Review and Metaregression Analysis

Guilherme V. Polanczyk, Maurício Silva de Lima, Bernardo Lessa Horta, Joseph Biederman, Luís Augusto Rohde
American Journal of Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2007 5,230 citations

Our findings suggest that geographic location plays a limited role in the reasons for the large variability of ADHD/HD prevalence estimates worldwide. Instead, this variability seems to be explained primarily by the methodological characteristics of studies.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Cognitive Abilities and Testing

Motivation deficit in ADHD is associated with dysfunction of the dopamine reward pathway

Nora D. Volkow, Gou‐Jen Wang, Jeffrey H. Newcorn, Scott H. Kollins, Timothy Wigal, Frank Telang, et al.
Molecular Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2010 409 citations

Researchers used PET brain scans to compare dopamine reward-system markers in 45 adults with ADHD and 41 adults without ADHD. People with ADHD scored lower on an Achievement scale (a stand-in measure for motivation), and in the ADHD group those lower scores were linked to lower availability of dopamine D2/D3…

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Cognitive Abilities and Testing Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies

Emotion dysregulation in ADHD and other neurodevelopmental conditions: a co-twin control study

Rebecka Astenvald, Matilda A. Frick, Janina Neufeld, Sven Bölte, Johan Isaksson

Researchers and clinicians say that people with ADHD often have trouble controlling strong or sudden feelings. Studies suggest emotional dysregulation is more common in people with ADHD than in those without it, and some research estimates that about 34–70% of adults with ADHD experience these challenges. Scientists point to differences…

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development Cognitive Abilities and Testing
Summaries and links are for general information and education only. They are not a substitute for reading the original publication or for professional medical, legal, or other advice. Always refer to the linked source for the full study.