As many as 5-7% of elementary school children are diagnosed with attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a behavioral disorder that causes problems with inattentiveness, over-activity, or a combination of these traits. Now, researchers have found that long-term ADHD drug use appears to have no long-term effects on the brain.
The animal study, conducted by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, is published online in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.
The majority of children with ADHD are treated with psychostimulant drugs. Although the drugs are known to be effective, little is known about their the long-term effects.
Linda Porrino, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, along with fellow professor Michael A. Nader, Ph.D., both of Wake Forest Baptist, and colleagues conducted an animal study in order to determine the long-term effects of these drugs.
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