Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Clinical Trials

ADHD is the most common pediatric neurodevelopmental disorder and is associated with significant long-term impairments. Current guidelines recommend stimulant medication and/or behavioral therapy as first-line treatments for ADHD. Despite evidence that consistent treatment is important for effectively managing ADHD symptoms, treatment adherence remains suboptimal and is especially problematic among minority children. Hypothesized reasons for racial/ethnic disparities in ADHD treatment include uncertainties about medication efficacy and side effects, distrust of the health care system, and decreased access to mental health services. This study aims to develop and test the I2-ART intervention to improve treatment adherence in minority (Latinx and African American) children with ADHD. The proposed study involves three ORBIT phases: During phase 1a, the investigators will conduct focus groups with key stakeholders (i.e., caregivers, clinicians, and family navigators, n=24) to identify and develop I2-ART's basic elements. Next, during phase 1b, the investigators will train four family navigators to implement I2-ART with caregivers of treatment-naïve children with ADHD (n=8-12) in order to determine feasibility and acceptability. In phase 2, the investigators will use phase 1b findings to modify I2-ART as needed, and then will evaluate the preliminary efficacy of the revised I2-ART (n=40), compared to the "usual care" control condition (n=20), on ADHD treatment adherence. The preliminary data collected during the proposed study will inform a subsequent R01 randomized controlled trial to examine I2-ART efficacy. Read Less

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) unlike X-rays and CT-scans does not use radiation to create a picture. MRI use as the name implies, magnetism to create pictures with excellent anatomical resolution. Functional MRIs are diagnostic tests that allow doctors to not only view anatomy, but physiology and function. It is for these reasons that MRIs are excellent methods for studying the brain. In this study, researchers will use MRI to assess brain anatomy and function in X and Y chromosome variation, healthy volunteers, and patients with a variety of childhood onset psychiatric disorders. The disorders include attention deficit disorder, autism, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, childhood-onset schizophrenia, dyslexia, obsessive compulsive disorder, Sydenham's chorea, and Tourette's syndrome. Results of the MRIs showing the anatomy of the brain and brain function will be compared across age, sex (gender), and diagnostic groups. Correlations between brain and behavioral measures will be examined for normal and clinical populations. Read Less

The investigators will examine the acute effects of stimulant medication on executive functioning. The rationale for the proposed study is to examine the efficacy of stimulants for college students with ADHD and help prevent stimulant misuse among college students without ADHD. The working hypothesis is that stimulants, compared to baseline and placebo conditions, will improve executive functioning for college students with ADHD but not for college students without ADHD. Improvements on executive functioning measures (e.g., CPT-IP, Spatial Span) will be examined through 2 (ADHD vs. non-ADHD) x 3 (Baseline, Placebo, Stimulant) repeated measures ANOVAs. Follow-up analyses will include paired comparisons. Expected outcomes are to confirm these hypotheses and demonstrate the need for further study of stimulants. If confirmed, the results will provide pilot data for a larger NIH grant proposal aimed at further examining the acute effects of stimulants (i.e., improved cognitive functioning with stimulants) and comparing them to the acute effects of physical exercise (i.e., improved cognitive functioning immediately after exercise). The investigators expect this outcome to have an important positive impact because it can help support stimulant medication as an effective treatment for college students with ADHD (DuPaul et al., 2012). Additionally, demonstration that stimulants do not improve executive functioning for college students without ADHD can be used to help prevent and discourage stimulant misuse and diversion on college campuses (Hartung et al., 2013). Read Less

The overall objective of this study is to examine physical exercise as an intervention for ADHD. The rationale for the proposed study is that physical exercise could serve as an effective treatment for college students with ADHD that has low costs, low risks, and ancillary health benefits and may address the limitations of existing treatments. The central hypothesis is that college students with ADHD will exhibit greater degrees of improvement in executive functioning (i.e., sustained attention, working memory) immediately following sprint interval training (SIT), relative to non-ADHD peers. This hypothesis was formulated based on preliminary studies demonstrating reduced ADHD symptoms and improved executive functioning following physical exercise. Multiple 2 (ADHD vs. control) x 2 (male vs. female) x 2 (exercise vs. none) repeated measures ANOVAs will be conducted to compare students with ADHD (n = 24) to controls (n = 24). The expected outcomes are to confirm this hypothesis and demonstrate the need for further study of physical exercise. If confirmed, the results will provide pilot data for a larger NIH grant proposal aimed at further examining the acute effects of physical exercise (i.e., improved cognitive functioning immediately following exercise) and also the chronic effects of physical exercise (i.e., improved functioning after engaging in regular exercise for an extended period). This outcome is expected to have an important positive impact because physical exercise may serve as an effective treatment for college students with ADHD that is less risky than stimulants, less time-consuming than therapy, and provides ancillary health benefits (i.e., increasing physical fitness, decreasing obesity). Read Less

Background: Impulsivity is acting 'without thinking.' Compulsivity is being overly inflexible. People vary in how impulsive or compulsive they are. Extreme versions of these behaviors play a role in mental disorders. Researchers want to study changes in the brain to learn more about these behaviors. Differences in genes may also play a role. Objective: To learn about genetic and brain features that explain why levels of impulsivity and compulsivity vary across people. Eligibility: People ages 6-80 Design: Participants will be screened with a medical history and medical record review. Participants will talk about their mental and behavioral development. They may discuss topics like drug use and sexual activity. They will complete surveys about their compulsivity and impulsivity. Parents of child participants may also complete these surveys. Participants may take memory, attention, and thinking tests. They may give blood or saliva samples for gene studies. Participants may have a magnetic resonance imaging scan. It will take pictures of their brain. The scanner is shaped like a cylinder. Participants will lie on a table that slides in and out of the scanner. A coil will be placed over their head. They will lie still, watch a movie, and play a game. Participants may have a magnetoencephalography scan. It records brain activity. Participants will sit in a room. A 'cone' of magnetic field detectors will be lowered around their head. They will rest and play a game. Participants may ask family members to join the study. Participants under age 25 may repeat these tests every 1-2 years until they turn 25 or until the study ends. For those over age 25, participation will last less than 1 month. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to determine whether changes in attention levels related to taking a single dose of a medication called methylphenidate, also known as Ritalin, affects responses to alcohol cues. The study will observe the effects of methylphenidate or a placebo on attentional bias and craving responses to alcohol cues through fMRI, EEG, and behavioral testing. Participants will be involved in one remote and two in-person sessions. Read Less

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) affects 11% of children and leads to adverse outcomes. Medications, while often effective in reducing certain ADHD symptoms, have many disadvantages, including misuse and side effects. Behavioral interventions do not have these adverse effects, but they are not as effective. Mindfulness is a candidate intervention for ADHD in elementary school children, but has not been systematically and rigorously studied. This study will evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of Mindfulness-Based ADHD Treatment for Children (MBAT-C). MBAT-C is designed for children at precisely the age when ADHD-relevant neurocognitive systems are developing and clinical symptoms begin to appear. Forty-five children from the New Haven, CT area, ages 7-13, will be recruited to participate in this randomized-controlled feasibility trial that will compare MBAT-C, medication, and a combined intervention. Read Less

The goal of the study is to develop and refine a personalized behavioral parent training intervention for caregivers of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The behavioral intervention will teach positive parenting through videos and quizzes that caregivers can access through a smartphone application. The program also gives parents and caregivers in-the-moment feedback their use of parenting strategies. The current study, a micro-randomized trial, aims to see whether the in-the-moment feedback given to parents (a push notification on their smartphone) changes parenting behavior right after the feedback. Micro-randomized means that parents are randomly assigned repeatedly, in this study multiple times per day, to receive or not receive parenting feedback or suggestions on their smartphones. The main questions to answer are: Is parenting feedback provided by a smartphone application acceptable to caregivers? When parents receive the feedback, do they use more positive parenting skills in the next few minutes compared to when they do not receive the feedback? Is the phone application usable and acceptable to parents and caregivers of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder? Read Less

The study investigators are interested in learning more about how drugs, that are given to children by their health care provider, act in the bodies of children and young adults in hopes to find the most safe and effective dose for children. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the PK of understudied drugs currently being administered to children per SOC as prescribed by their treating provider. Read Less

The purpose of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effects of mobile app digital therapies on cognitive function and symptoms in adults diagnosed with ADHD. Read Less

This study aims to determine the transient, modulatory effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on executive function and inhibitory control in patients with ADHD compared to healthy controls. Read Less

In the current study, the investigators aim to understand the role of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in improving executive function across neuropsychiatric populations known to have deficits in this cognitive domain. Read Less