1. Baumeister A, Schuurmans L, Schöttle D, Reif A, Kahl KG, Moritz S, Karow A, Lambert M, Betzler F, Philipsen A. Efficacy of an Unguided Digital Intervention for Adults With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2026; 123(14).

BACKGROUND: Psychotherapy for adults with ADHD is still underutilized in Germany and worldwide. Only a small percentage of these patients receive psychotherapy as recommended in the guidelines. Unguided digital interventions may help to lessen this treatment gap. METHODS: An open-label, exploratory randomized controlled trial was conducted (trial registration: DRKS00033320). Adults with confirmed ADHD were recruited at six study centers in Germany, as well as via social media, and were randomly allotted to receive either the intervention (treatment as usual + app) or the control condition (treatment as usual). Data were collected from 2 February to 5 June 2024. The primary endpoint was patients’ health-related quality of life (QOL) at 12 weeks. The secondary endpoints included changes in the severity of ADHD symptoms, functional impairment, and symptoms of anxiety or depression. The threshold for statistical significance was set at 10% in view of the exploratory nature of the trial. RESULTS: 307 subjects were randomized (intervention group: n = 155, control group: 152). 70% were women, 29% men, and 1% was gender diverse; their mean age was 36 years (SD, 9.5). The data were analyzed according to the intention-to-treat principle with a mixed-effects model. The improvement in QOL was greater in the intervention group than in the control group (p <0.001; d = 0.54; 90% confidence interval [0.33-0.74]), despite generally low adherence to the intervention in the intervention group. 40% of subjects in the intervention group attained clinically relevant improvement in QOL, compared to 27% of control subjects. Among the secondary endpoints, ADHD symptoms improved to a greater extent in the intervention group than in the control group. CONCLUSION: Limitations include that no standardized diagnostics were conducted within the study and that no conclusions can be drawn regarding long-term effects.

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2. Gonçalves BP, Martins-Silva T, Matijasevich A, Domingues MR, Hallal PC, Tovo-Rodrigues L, Bertoldi AD. Association of unprocessed and ultra-processed food consumption and ADHD symptoms: evidence from a Brazilian population-based cohort. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2026.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders during childhood and adolescence. Diet has been identified as a relevant contributor to the worsening of ADHD symptoms in childhood. This study aimed to examine the cumulative impact of consumption of unprocessed and ultra-processed foods at ages 2, 4, and 6-7 on ADHD symptoms at age 6-7, and to identify potential sensitive periods of dietary exposure. We analyzed data from 3643 children enrolled in the 2015 Pelotas (Brazil) Birth Cohort. Negative binomial regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the association between the consumption of unprocessed or minimally processed foods and ultra-processed foods, and to identify potential sensitive periods of exposure. Children who consistently remained in the highest tertile (T3) of unprocessed or minimally processed food consumption across all assessments had, on average, 6.0% lower ADHD symptom scores at 6-7 years of age compared to those who were never in the highest tertile. Conversely, those who belonged to the highest tertile of ultra-processed food consumption twice or at all assessments had, on average, ADHD symptom scores 16.0% and 13.0% higher ADHD symptom scores at 6-7 years, respectively, than children who were never in that tertile. In the analysis of the sensitive periods for food consumption, ultra-processed consumption at ages 4 and 6-7 (IRR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.07-1.37; p = 0.003) were associated with higher ADHD symptom scores. These findings underscore the importance of establishing healthy dietary intake during childhood and suggest a potential sensitive period of vulnerability in infancy during which nutrition may have a pronounced impact on neurodevelopment.

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3. Hasslinger J, Alehagen L, Bilir K, Bölte S. Autism and ADHD Strengths and Needs in a Nutshell – Parental Evaluation of a Digital ICF-Based Assessment Summary Report. J Autism Dev Disord. 2026.

PURPOSE: Returning results from psychological assessments is increasingly viewed as an ethical duty and a way to strengthen engagement and trust. The WHO International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) offers a framework to describe functioning across strengths, challenges, and contextual facilitators/barriers. Although ICF-based approaches map functioning in autism and ADHD, their use for individualized feedback to caregivers is underexamined. We evaluated caregivers’ perceptions of a digital summary report derived from a proxy-rated ICF-based assessment for children and adolescents with autism and/or ADHD. METHODS: A multiple-methods survey was sent to 707 caregivers from a prior ICF Core Sets study; 357 provided valid responses. Items covered perceived accuracy, changes in awareness and agency, and perceived usefulness in healthcare, education, and social services. Quantitative data were analysed with nonparametric statistics; qualitative responses were thematically categorized. RESULTS: Caregivers rated the report accurate for their child’s strengths (91.3%) and challenges (92.2%). About half reported increased awareness of strengths (49.9%), challenges (48.7%), and environmental facilitators (49.3%) and barriers (49.6%). Many reported greater ability to use strengths (53.2%), manage difficulties (48.4%), and seek help (39.5%). Parents of autistic children reported larger awareness gains than parents of children with ADHD; no differences emerged by caregiver or child gender. The report was considered useful in healthcare (62.1%), education (65.3%), and social services (60%). CONCLUSION: ICF-based feedback was perceived as accurate, useful, and empowering, supporting clinical and educational practice. Impact may increase if delivered earlier and further tailored. Implementation studies should assess usability, acceptability, and benefits for decision-making.

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4. Iqbal A, Joshi R, Beniwal N, Sood K, Habib M, Rivera Valentin M, Basta M. Quality and reliability of YouTube videos on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A cross-sectional study. Natl Med J India. 2026; 39(3): 164-6.

Background Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects 5% of children and adolescents. Diagnostic criteria rely on behavioural observations. YouTube offers easily accessible health information, including that on ADHD. We analyzed ADHD-related YouTube videos covering causes, treatment, medication, patient presentation, and ADHD deficit hyperkinetic disorder to assess the quality of information. Methods YouTube videos related to ADHD were evaluated in a cross-sectional study. Seven different search terms was used by seven authors to review the top 10 videos each. The videos were scored using the modified video power index (VPI), Global Quality Scale (GQS) and DISCERN scores to evaluate the quality and reliability of the information. The quality of videos was compared based on the nature of the source of the videos. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software was used to perform statistical analysis. Results This study included 67 videos, mostly by doctors (n = 21, 31.3%), most often describing ADHD symptoms (n = 58, 86.57%). The median GQS for the videos was 4, and the reliability score was also 4. The quality of videos was similar among the source of videos with p values for VPI, GQS, and global reliability being 0.073, 0.922, and 0.617, respectively. Conclusion The quality of videos on ADHD on YouTube are similar irrespective of the source such as doctors, patients, healthcare providers etc.

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5. Maglione MA, Batra J, Peterson BS, Trampush J, Pakdaman S, Sysawang K, Yagyu S, Foster E, Zhang D, Motala A, Tolentino D, Hempel S. Adult Misuse of ADHD Stimulant Medication in the United States: A Rapid Review. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2026.

PURPOSE: To assess the prevalence, patterns, and consequences of ADHD stimulant medication misuse among adults in the United States. METHODS: PubMed and PsycINFO were searched for US-based studies from 2004 to 2024. Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies on stimulant medication misuse among adults were included. Risk of bias was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) checklist for prevalence studies and the Quality in Prognosis Studies (QUIPS) tool for longitudinal designs. Data were summarized narratively. FINDINGS: Sixty-four studies met inclusion criteria, including several high-quality federally funded national surveys. Many other incidence and prevalence studies were conducted at universities; these had inconsistent quality due to low response, non-representative samples, or unclear methodology. National surveys show that past-year misuse among adults is declining, with 2023 estimates ranging from 1.4% to 3.7% among young adults and 1.9% among adults of all ages. Misuse is most prevalent among younger, White, metropolitan-dwelling individuals, and among college students. Misuse is primarily oral and infrequent, although a subset of high-frequency users obtain stimulants from physicians or dealers and exhibit higher rates of polysubstance use. Consequences of misuse may include psychiatric admission, emergency department visits, and illicit drug use. Long-term studies do not support a link between prescribed stimulant treatment in adolescence and later substance use disorder; unfortunately, no studies collected data on long-term physical health consequences. CONCLUSIONS: ADHD stimulant medication misuse among adults, although declining, remains a public health concern, particularly among high-frequency users. Research gaps remain, especially regarding long-term health outcomes.

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6. Zheng S, Hou H, Cao Y, Mao G, Li S, Jin J, Tang L, Zhang Z, Wei F. Feasibility and exploratory outcomes of immersive VR intervention on brain functional networks and clinical symptoms in ADHD children: A pilot study. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging. 2026; 362: 112254.

BACKGROUND: Current evaluations of immersive virtual reality (VR) interventions for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) primarily rely on subjective clinical scales. This pilot study investigated the effects of an immersive VR intervention on brain functional networks in children with ADHD using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) degree centrality (DC) and how they correlate with clinical symptoms. METHODS: Fourteen children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD group) and 13 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC group) were recruited. All participants underwent rs-fMRI examinations within 2 days of baseline clinical assessment. DC values were calculated to evaluate spontaneous neural activity. Children in the ADHD group received a 16-week immersive VR intervention, administered once weekly for 30 minutes per session. The intervention comprised firefly cave navigation tasks and daily scenario-based social skills training. The study analyzed baseline differences in DC values between the two groups, as well as changes in clinical scores and DC values in the ADHD group before and after the intervention. Additionally, correlation analysis was performed to explore the association between changes in DC values and behavioral indicators. RESULTS: At baseline, the ADHD group had significantly higher CPT and SNAP-IV inattention/hyperactivity scores (P<0.05), with abnormal degree centrality (DC) in cortico-striatal, cerebellar and prefrontal regions. After VR intervention, the ADHD group showed significant reductions in all clinical scores (P<0.05), accompanied by decreased DC in the right cuneus and left cerebellar Crus II area; only SNAP-IV inattention scores remained higher than HC group (P= 0.009). Changes in right cuneus DC were positively correlated with SNAP-IV inattention changes (r=0.64, P=0.013), and right middle orbitofrontal gyrus DC was positively correlated with CPT scores (r=0.57, P=0.033). CONCLUSION: In this pilot study, immersive VR intervention alleviated core ADHD symptoms. In addition, dynamic changes in degree centrality within specific brain regions may serve as potential neuroimaging biomarkers for monitoring therapeutic responses to VR intervention in children with ADHD.

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