New Study: ADHD Drugs Boost Alertness, Not Just Direct Focus

A new study challenges the long-held belief that ADHD medications directly improve focus, finding instead that they primarily enhance alertness and interest. This research, based on brain scans of nearly 5,800 children, suggests these stimulants make tasks feel more rewarding and mimic the effects of good sleep.

• ADHD medicines primarily enhance alertness and interest, not direct focus.
• Study analyzed fMRI scans of nearly 5,800 children from the ABCD Study.
• Stimulants activate brain regions linked to reward and wakefulness.
• Medications also mimicked effects of sufficient sleep, counteracting deprivation.
• The findings were published in the prestigious scientific journal Cell.
• Implications for understanding ADHD mechanism and potential treatment approaches.

Read the full story on Quick Digest.