Prescription medication for ADHD might not affect the attention networks of the brain, according to international researchers. The team looked at brain imaging data of kids aged 8-11, and found that taking these ADHD medications, which are stimulants, instead improve brain performance by reversing the effects of sleep deprivation on brain connections and school grades. They also found brain connectivity changed in the parts of the brain associated with wakefulness and reward, but not the brain’s attention systems. The team says their findings imply the ADHD medications might drive brain organisation towards a more wakeful and rewarded configuration, improving task effort and persistence without effects on attention networks.
Anyone able to explain what the resulting consequences mean in practice?
I can tell you what I think it means from the perspective of having ADHD.
I sleep very badly. I don’t get the rewarding feeling from accomplishing a task. For me the dopamine hit that I guess neurotypical people get from accomplishments is missing completely. What I do get is a sense of relief from checking a task off the list of things because that makes me feel less overwhelmed. I also function better when that list is clear or small (and when my house is clean and organized etc).
My sleep quality is impacted by mostly my brain waking me up to worry about things on that list. And because I’m thirsty or have to use the bathroom and didn’t remember to do that before sleeping.
I solve the drinking water problem by setting multiple alarms through the day. I have yet to solve the bathroom problem and my “need to pee reflex” has to be screaming at me to break me from whatever I hyper focus on during the day.
I think this makes sense because if I could get meaningful sleep, feeling rewarded when things get done, and having my brain connections give me better feedback for things like remembering to do things/drink water etc I would be much better off.
I don’t think my memory is bad. Actually my memory is usually pretty amazing, but my timing of remembering is bad. So I remember that I have a doctor’s appointment for instance. And I write it down because that’s what I was taught as a coping mechanism. But that doesn’t mean that I will remember to set an alarm for that day so I can be notified of that appointment and make it there on time. But I will probably remember the night before and even tell myself not to forget. I might remember on the day. But if a hyper focus hits my brain will ignore that niggling thought about it in favor of the hyper focus and that’s why you’ll hear about ADHD folks going into “waiting mode” where they do nothing for hours before a major appointment etc.
Coffee helps. But I believe I would be getting a much better quality stimulant from the ADHD meds. I feel overwhelmed trying to think about getting on medication though.
Sorry, i was unclear in my question. My not-understand was mainly for the parts of how the medication touches on wakefulness instead of attention.
I share(d) your problems. Getting on medication definitely improved my sleep, but the waking up too early stayed. So i started taking melatonin in the evening, every single night. I wouldn’t go as far as calling it a game changer, but it definitely improved my quality of life, and by a lot. Being well rested, I however still “need” medication, going without has a strong negative impact “on my day” with repercussions on my sleep. Also, the added benefits of melatonin-improved sleep allow me to reduce my meds dose, which leads to a reduction in the accompanying side-effects.
This doesn’t really seem like news… it’s great they’re doing the research, but anybody with ADHD will know that Attention Deficit is a misnomer, and of course it’s a problem with wakefulness and reward
Anyone able to explain what the resulting consequences mean in practice?
I can tell you what I think it means from the perspective of having ADHD.
I sleep very badly. I don’t get the rewarding feeling from accomplishing a task. For me the dopamine hit that I guess neurotypical people get from accomplishments is missing completely. What I do get is a sense of relief from checking a task off the list of things because that makes me feel less overwhelmed. I also function better when that list is clear or small (and when my house is clean and organized etc).
My sleep quality is impacted by mostly my brain waking me up to worry about things on that list. And because I’m thirsty or have to use the bathroom and didn’t remember to do that before sleeping.
I solve the drinking water problem by setting multiple alarms through the day. I have yet to solve the bathroom problem and my “need to pee reflex” has to be screaming at me to break me from whatever I hyper focus on during the day.
I think this makes sense because if I could get meaningful sleep, feeling rewarded when things get done, and having my brain connections give me better feedback for things like remembering to do things/drink water etc I would be much better off.
I don’t think my memory is bad. Actually my memory is usually pretty amazing, but my timing of remembering is bad. So I remember that I have a doctor’s appointment for instance. And I write it down because that’s what I was taught as a coping mechanism. But that doesn’t mean that I will remember to set an alarm for that day so I can be notified of that appointment and make it there on time. But I will probably remember the night before and even tell myself not to forget. I might remember on the day. But if a hyper focus hits my brain will ignore that niggling thought about it in favor of the hyper focus and that’s why you’ll hear about ADHD folks going into “waiting mode” where they do nothing for hours before a major appointment etc.
Coffee helps. But I believe I would be getting a much better quality stimulant from the ADHD meds. I feel overwhelmed trying to think about getting on medication though.
Sorry, i was unclear in my question. My not-understand was mainly for the parts of how the medication touches on wakefulness instead of attention.
I share(d) your problems. Getting on medication definitely improved my sleep, but the waking up too early stayed. So i started taking melatonin in the evening, every single night. I wouldn’t go as far as calling it a game changer, but it definitely improved my quality of life, and by a lot. Being well rested, I however still “need” medication, going without has a strong negative impact “on my day” with repercussions on my sleep. Also, the added benefits of melatonin-improved sleep allow me to reduce my meds dose, which leads to a reduction in the accompanying side-effects.
Sorry that was too much to read and my brain noped out.
This doesn’t really seem like news… it’s great they’re doing the research, but anybody with ADHD will know that Attention Deficit is a misnomer, and of course it’s a problem with wakefulness and reward
I wouldn’t say anybody, because I have zero clue what the problem is.