1. Di Lorenzo R, Bonisoli J, Gualtieri F, Latella E, Riguzzi I, Ferri P, Rovesti S. Effects of atomoxetine and methylphenidate on quality of life and self-esteem in adults with ADHD. Front Psychiatry. 2026; 17: 1866964.

OBJECTIVE: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in adulthood is a complex neuropsychiatric condition characterized by inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, often associated with emotional dysregulation, with a significant impact on global functioning, self-esteem, and quality of life. The aim of this study is to compare the effects of atomoxetine and methylphenidate on quality of life and self-esteem in adults diagnosed with ADHD. METHODS: A naturalistic observational study was conducted on a sample of adults, divided into methylphenidate and atomoxetine treatment groups. Assessments were performed at baseline (T0) and after a mean period (T1) of 176.37 (± 173.83 SD) days using Barkley Adult ADHD Rating Scale-IV (BAARS-IV) Quick Screen, Adult ADHD Quality of Life (AAQoL-29), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), and Global Assessment Functioning (GAF). RESULTS: At T1, we showed a significant improvement in both groups in all dimensions: reduction of ADHD symptoms (BAARS total: p = 0.012), increase in overall quality of life (AAQoL-29 total: p < 0.001) and global functioning (GAF: p < 0.001), as well as an increase in self-esteem scores (RSES total: p = 0.0002). Methylphenidate proved more effective than atomoxetine in improving both quality of life (total AAQoL-29: p = 0.006) and self-esteem (total RSES: p = 0.031). Correlation analysis showed that symptom severity, assessed with the DIVA 5 test, was inversely proportional to levels of self-esteem (Spearman rho = -0.3269; p = 0.0131) and quality of life (Spearman rho = -0.3758; p = 0.0040) and that RSES and AAQoL-29 scores were positively correlated (Spearman rho = 0.6357; p = 0.0000). CONCLUSION: Our study confirms that pharmacological therapy in adult ADHD not only improves core symptoms but also promotes improvement in self-esteem and personal efficacy, essential components for the recovery of psychological and social well-being.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

2. Hanshaw A, Shanks A, Porcu A. Amphetamine-type stimulants in young adults with ADHD: effects on sleep, circadian rhythms, and neuropsychiatric outcomes. Front Pharmacol. 2026; 17: 1891825.

Amphetamine-type stimulants are widely prescribed for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and are commonly used by college-aged individuals. While effective for improving attention and executive function, these medications may also influence sleep and circadian regulation. College students are particularly vulnerable to sleep disturbances because young adulthood is characterized by a biologically delayed circadian phase that favors later sleep timing. Combined with academic and social demands and nighttime light exposure, as well as the high prevalence of delayed circadian rhythms in ADHD, these factors may increase susceptibility to circadian misalignment and sleep disruption. This mini-review provides a narrative synthesis of the current literature examining the relationship between amphetamine-type stimulant use, sleep and circadian dysregulation, and neuropsychiatric outcomes in young adults with ADHD. Understanding how stimulant pharmacology interacts with the circadian system and sleep may help optimize treatment strategies and reduce side effects in young adults with ADHD.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

3. Kamış B, Çalışkan Kamış Ş, Yüksekkaya C, Vural SA, Güneş S. Serum ferritin levels in non-anemic children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: associations with clinical presentations and symptom severity. Front Psychiatry. 2026; 17: 1875919.

BACKGROUND: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder in childhood and adolescence. Iron is involved in dopamine synthesis, myelination, and brain energy metabolism; therefore, reduced iron stores may be relevant to ADHD, although serum ferritin findings remain inconsistent. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare serum ferritin levels between non-anemic children and adolescents with ADHD and controls, and to evaluate their association with ADHD clinical presentations and symptom severity. METHODS: This retrospective cross-sectional analytical study included 105 children and adolescents with DSM-5-TR ADHD and 102 age-comparable controls without known psychiatric or chronic systemic disease, recruited from pediatric outpatient clinics during the same period. Participants with anemia, active systemic disease, intellectual disability, or laboratory evidence of acute inflammation were excluded. Hemoglobin, ferritin, and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were compared between groups. Same-day ferritin/CRP values from the same institutional laboratory were used. Serum iron samples were obtained in the morning after fasting. Within the ADHD group, iron-related parameters, ADHD presentation, pharmacotherapy/supplementation status, and parent- and teacher-rated Conners scores were evaluated. Non-parametric tests, Spearman correlation analysis, and multivariable logistic regression were performed. RESULTS: The groups were comparable in age, hemoglobin, and CRP. Male sex was more frequent in the ADHD group [77/105 (73.3%) vs. 49/102 (48.0%); p<0.001]. Serum ferritin levels were lower in the ADHD group [15.10 ng/mL, interquartile range (IQR): 11.10-20.60 vs. 20.10 ng/mL, IQR: 15.03-28.33; p<0.001]. After adjustment for age, sex, hemoglobin, and CRP, higher ferritin levels were associated with lower odds of ADHD (OR = 0.927, 95% CI: 0.895-0.961; p<0.001). Ferritin levels differed across ADHD presentations and showed weak negative correlations with parent- and teacher-rated hyperactivity scores. CONCLUSION: Non-anemic children and adolescents with ADHD had lower serum ferritin levels than controls. Ferritin may be a supportive biological parameter in selected ADHD subgroups, but not a diagnostic or severity biomarker.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

4. Seo J, Kim Y, Ryu S, Kim S, Zylowska L. Symptom expression and coping strategies in women-focused attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder communities: a comparative natural language analysis of Reddit. Front Psychiatry. 2026; 17: 1867179.

INTRODUCTION: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in women remains underrecognized despite increasing evidence of gender-specific symptom patterns and treatment experiences. Using computational text analysis, this study examined how ADHD is expressed and managed in two Reddit communities: r/adhdwomen and r/ADHD. METHODS: We collected and analyzed 3,383 unique, publicly available posts (r/adhdwomen: n = 1,414; r/ADHD: n = 1,969) using GPT-assisted natural language processing and statistical comparison methods. To ensure consistent output while identifying patterns of symptom expression and coping strategies, we set the model’s randomness parameter to 0.2 and ran it using Python 3.11. RESULTS: Both groups frequently discussed core DSM-5 symptoms (inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity). However, posts in r/adhdwomen contained more references to emotional dysregulation and internalizing symptoms (53.0% vs 47.3%, false discovery rate [FDR]-adjusted p = 0.025) and hormonal and life cycle influences (3.6% vs 0.4%, FDR-adjusted p < 0.001). The overall frequencies of the coping strategy subcategories did not differ significantly between the groups (all FDR-adjusted p > 0.05). The use of medication was the most frequently mentioned coping strategy followed by executive function support. Additionally, pairwise association analysis identified several recurrent coping combinations within each community. Across both subreddits, significant associations were consistently observed for executive function support combined with environmental structuring, digital tools, and social support. In r/adhdwomen, unique associations of psychotherapy with social support and mindfulness and emotion regulation with lifestyle emerged. CONCLUSION: The women-focused ADHD community (r/adhdwomen) more frequently discussed emotional dysregulation and internalizing symptoms as well as hormonal and life cycle influences than the general ADHD community (r/ADHD). Although the two communities showed similar overall frequencies of coping strategy categories, they partly differed in the recurring combinations of strategies discussed within posts. These findings should be interpreted as community-level discourse patterns rather than direct differences between women and men with ADHD because r/ADHD is a mixed-gender general ADHD community rather than a male comparison group. Social media text can be used as a supplementary source for understanding how ADHD-related experiences and coping strategies are discussed in everyday peer contexts.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

5. Yang H, Zhou Y, Zhou C, Lang D, Chen L. Effectiveness of virtual reality based intervention on core symptoms and cognitive functions in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Psychol. 2026; 17: 1835922.

OBJECTIVE: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to comprehensively evaluate the impact of virtual reality (VR)-based interventions on core symptoms and cognitive function, and to examine their effectiveness for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). METHODS: A comprehensive search was conducted across multiple databases, including Embase, Web of Science (WOS), PubMed, The Cochrane Library, ProQuest, EBSCOhost, from their inception up to May 2026. The search aimed to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the impact of VR on core symptoms and cognitive function in patients with ADHD. The Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale was employed to assess the quality of the literature, while the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool (ROB-2) was used to evaluate the overall risk of bias. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) profiler method was utilized to further assess the quality of evidence. Meta-analysis, sensitivity analysis, and publication bias testing were performed using Review Manager 5.4.1 and Stata 18.0 software. Effect sizes were calculated using the standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: 23 RCTs with 1,102 participants were included. Meta-analysis showed that VR interventions significantly reduced core ADHD symptoms [inattention: SMD = -0.80, 95% CI (-1.13, -0.48), p < 0.05, I(2)  = 79%; hyperactivity/impulsivity: SMD = -0.57, 95% CI (-0.87, -0.27), p < 0.05, I (2) = 76%; total symptoms: SMD = -0.47, 95% CI (-0.78, -0.16), p < 0.05, I (2) = 54%],and significantly improved cognitive functions [inhibition: SMD = -0.36, 95% CI (-0.56, -0.15), p < 0.05, I(2)  = 37%; working memory: SMD = -0.23, 95% CI (-0.40, -0.07), p < 0.05, I (2) = 0%; cognitive flexibility: SMD = -0.23, 95% CI (-0.43, -0.04), p < 0.05, I(2)  = 0%]. Subgroup analysis revealed that for children under 12 years of age, mid-term (5-8 weeks), moderate-duration (20-30 min), high-frequency (≥3 sessions/week) interventions using mixed cognitive-physical or cognitive-based VR significantly improve core symptoms in patients with ADHD, with immersive VR producing more consistent broad symptom relief; cognitive functions require long-term (≥9 weeks) interventions with long duration (>30 min) per session. Lower frequency (1-2 sessions/week) appears more beneficial than higher frequency, and non-immersive VR may be more effective than immersive for inhibition and working memory. Cognitive improvements are most evident in children under 12 years. CONCLUSION: VR interventions significantly reduce core ADHD symptoms and improve cognitive functions, with differential dose-response patterns. Optimal protocols differ between symptoms and cognitive outcomes. VR represents a promising complementary approach for ADHD, pending confirmation through high-quality, long-term RCTs. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier PROSPERO (CRD420261340074).

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)