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.
The WHO Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) has 18 questions about recent ADHD symptoms, and a shorter six-question screener was tested against blind clinical diagnoses in 154 people from the US National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Each ASRS item was linked to the clinical rating, but agreement varied a lot across…
This review says adult ADHD affects about 2.5% of adults and often occurs with other mental health problems. Adults with ADHD commonly have trouble with attention, memory, planning, self-control, and emotions. The condition is often missed or undertreated, is linked with big personal and social problems, and the evidence on…
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…
Research links ADHD — which shows up as inattention, impulsivity, and too much activity — to weaker structure and function in the brain’s prefrontal cortex (PFC), especially on the right side. The PFC helps control top-down attention, stop inappropriate actions, and regulate emotion, and it needs the right balance of…
This literature review searched PubMed, PsycINFO/OVID, and Medline for original English studies that defined both ADHD and mind wandering and used statistical tests. Only nine studies met the rules (eight in adults and one in children). The studies suggest that people with ADHD commonly experience spontaneous mind wandering and that…
This randomized clinical trial tested 12 sessions of manualized group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with individual coaching in 88 adults with ADHD. Participants were randomly assigned to CBT alone (n = 46) or CBT plus medication (n = 42). The combined treatment produced greater improvements in ADHD symptoms, organizational skills,…
Attention‑deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common, long‑term condition that begins in childhood. The main symptoms are trouble paying attention, having too much activity, and acting without thinking. These symptoms can cause problems at home, at school or work, and in relationships. About 8.4% of children and 2.5% of adults are…
Research on the predominantly inattentive attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD-PI) subtype/presentation is important given its high prevalence, but paradoxically it is under-recognized and undertreated. The temporal stability of the inattention symptom could impact the high worldwide prevalence of ADHD-PI. Some evidence suggests differences in the nature of attentional deficit in ADHD-PI vs.…
This pre-registered study tested whether ADHD-like traits relate to how people search for rewards. In an online task, participants chose either to keep collecting from a depleting patch or to leave and go to a new one. They also completed a well-validated ADHD self-report screen. People left patches sooner when…
Researchers scanned the brains of 371 adolescents and young adults (average age 17.1) while they did a visuospatial working memory task. They found that anxiety changed the link between how severe a person’s ADHD symptoms were and brain activity. Specifically, higher anxiety was linked with lower activity in the cerebellum…
