{"id":405085,"date":"2026-01-10T23:36:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T23:36:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/405085\/"},"modified":"2026-01-10T23:36:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T23:36:11","slug":"common-medications-may-work-differently-than-previously-believed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/405085\/","title":{"rendered":"Common Medications May Work Differently Than Previously Believed"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AShare on Pinterest<\/a>A new study suggests that common medications prescribed to help manage ADHD, such as Adderall and Ritalin, may work differently than believed. SolStock\/Getty ImagesResearchers say ADHD medications such as Ritalin and Adderall may affect different parts of the brain than previously thought.They said the stimulants appear to help reduce ADHD symptoms by interacting with the brain\u2019s reward and wakefulness centers.They say the drugs also produce patterns of brain activity that are similar to quality sleep, something many people with ADHD have difficulty achieving.<\/p>\n

A new study reports that common medications prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD<\/a>) may work differently than previously thought.<\/p>\n

Experts say the findings could alter the way medical professionals treat and manage ADHD.<\/p>\n

In the study<\/a> published in the journal Cell, researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis say prescription drugs such as Ritalin<\/a> and Adderall<\/a> may be effective in treating ADHD because they interact primarily with the brain\u2019s reward and wakefulness centers.<\/p>\n

In particular, the researchers said these medications produce patterns of brain activity that are representative of quality sleep \u2013 something that people with ADHD can have trouble achieving.<\/p>\n

The researchers stated that prescription stimulants enhance performance by making individuals with ADHD more alert and interested in tasks, rather than directly improving a person\u2019s ability to focus.<\/p>\n

These conclusions counter previous theories that these stimulant medications interacted most directly with the brain\u2019s attention circuitry.<\/p>\n

\u201cI prescribe a lot of stimulants as a child neurologist, and I\u2019ve always been taught that they facilitate attention systems to give people more voluntary control over what they pay attention to,\u201d said Benjamin Kay<\/a>, MD, a co-author of the study and an assistant professor of medicine at Washington University who works at St. Louis Children\u2019s Hospital.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we\u2019ve shown that\u2019s not the case. Rather, the improvement we observe in attention is a secondary effect of a child being more alert and finding a task more rewarding, which naturally helps them pay more attention to it,\u201d Kay said in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Grace Cheney<\/a>, MD, a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University in California who specializes in ADHD assessment and treatment, says these findings are important.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis study validates what clinicians have long observed, while clarifying how stimulant medications are actually helping,\u201d Cheney, who was not involved in the study, told Medical News Today. \u201cRather than directly boosting attention networks, stimulants appear to act on systems involved in wakefulness, motivation, and reward, shifting the brain into a more alert and engaged state.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe study corrects the common misconception that stimulant medications simply \u2018increase attention\u2019 in a direct or mechanical way,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

To reach their findings, the Washington University researchers used data from resting-state MRI exams on 5,795 children ages 8 to 11 who participated in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD<\/a>) Study.<\/p>\n

The researchers compared brain connectivity patterns between children who took prescription stimulants and children who were not given medications on the day of their scan.<\/p>\n

They reported that children who took stimulants the day of the scan showed \u201cincreased activity in regions of the brain related to arousal or wakefulness.\u201d<\/p>\n

They stated that the scans did not show significantly increased activity in regions typically associated with attention.<\/p>\n

\u201cEssentially, we found that stimulants pre-reward our brains and allow us to keep working at things that wouldn\u2019t normally hold our interest \u2014 like our least favorite class in school, for example,\u201d said Nico Dosenbach<\/a>, MD, a co-author of the study and a professor of neurology at Washington University, in the statement.<\/p>\n

Cheney said these findings can help medical professionals when assessing and treating ADHD.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis data should prompt clinicians to refine how they explain what stimulant medications can and cannot do. Rather than generally increasing focus, stimulants instead improve wakefulness, motivation, and the ability to persist with tasks that the individual does not naturally find rewarding or interesting,\u201d Cheney said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis research gives scientific backing to a biking metaphor I often use with patients and families,\u201d she added. \u201cIn ADHD, mundane tasks (be it math homework or laundry) feel like a very steep hill to pedal up. Medication won\u2019t push the bike uphill for you, but it lowers the steepness of the hill. You still must pedal, but getting started takes less effort, and maintaining momentum is easier.\u201d<\/p>\n

The researchers also said their findings point to the importance of people with ADHD getting adequate quality sleep.<\/p>\n

Cheney said this is an important aspect of the study.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe study reminds us of sleep\u2019s importance; it suggests that some of the brain patterns associated with stimulant treatment overlap with patterns seen when people are better rested, whether or not they have ADHD,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSleep cannot be emphasized enough. Adequate, consistent sleep is vital for attention and cognitive functioning for both children and adults,\u201d Cheney added.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s estimated<\/a> that 7 million children ages 3 to 17 in the United States have been diagnosed with ADHD. Boys are almost twice as likely to be diagnosed as girls.<\/p>\n

ADHD<\/a> is a neurological disorder that causes people with the condition to have difficulty focusing on a specific task or sitting still for long periods of time.<\/p>\n

InattentionHyperactivity-impulsiveCombination of inattention and hyperactivityDaydreamingDifficulty focusingMaking \u201ccareless\u201d mistakesLosing personal itemsRunning or climbing at inappropriate timesMaking unnecessary noisesTapping of hands and feet<\/p>\n

In addition to medications, ADHD can be treated with behavioral therapy and counseling. Medical professionals say parents can help children with ADHD by:<\/p>\n

Providing a written schedule of all tasksBreaking down large tasks into smaller, more manageable tasksKeeping school materials and toys organizedEstablishing clear, consistent rules<\/p>\n

Cheney noted that behavioral therapy and other strategies are important components of treatment, along with medication.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why non-medication supports at home and at school remain critical to support attention in ways medication alone cannot; for example, reducing environmental distractions and using pacing strategies like brief work intervals and movement breaks,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Share on PinterestA new study suggests that common medications prescribed to help manage ADHD, such as Adderall and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":405086,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[214825,2670,64,63,137,490,214826],"class_list":{"0":"post-405085","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-medication","8":"tag-adderall","9":"tag-adhd","10":"tag-au","11":"tag-australia","12":"tag-health","13":"tag-medication","14":"tag-ritalin"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/405085","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=405085"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/405085\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/405086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=405085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=405085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=405085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}