这些多动症药物如何在大脑中发挥作用？一项研究表明，其机制与以前认为的不同

How Do These ADHD Medications Work in the Brain? The Mechanisms Are Different Than Once Thought, a Study Suggests

Adderall, Ritalin and other stimulants prescribed for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder seem to work on brain areas involved with wakefulness and reward, rather than attention

In the United States, an estimated one in nine children has been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which is often characterized by impulsivity and difficulty paying attention. Of those roughly seven million kids across the country—a number that may rise—around half take prescribed medications, often stimulants, for their ADHD.

Scientists have long thought that these drugs, such as Adderall and Ritalin, target parts of the brain that control attention.但事实可能并非如此。

Instead, stimulant medications for ADHD seem to activate brain regions involved with wakefulness and reward, according to a human brain scan study published December 24 in the journal Cell.

“We think it’s a combination of both arousal and reward, that kind of one-two punch, that really helps kids with ADHD when they take this medication,” says study co-author Benjamin Kay, a pediatric neurologist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, to NPR’s Jon Hamilton.

Did you know? Women have historically been diagnosed with ADHD at a far lower rate than men

For a long time, doctors believed ADHD only affected male children. Now, that’s starting to change as researchers learn more about the range of ways ADHD can exhibit itself. For instance, the condition often presents more subtly in girls, who may struggle with time management, daydreaming or being a chatterbox.

The researchers examined brain scans of almost 5,800 participants who were ages 8 to 11, some of whom had ADHD. Approximately 340 of those with diagnoses—mostly boys—took stimulants on the morning before they went into a scanner, which took snapshots of their brains while they were not doing any activities.