Baseline brain volume predicts home-based transcranial direct current stimulation effects on inattention in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Background: Home-based transcranial direct current stimulation (Hb-tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that utilizes low-intensity electric currents delivered via scalp electrodes to modulate brain activity. It holds significant promise for addressing inattention in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, its effectiveness varies among individuals, and predicting outcomes remains uncertain, partially due to the influence of individual differences in ADHD-related brain anatomy.

Deviations from a typical development of the cerebellum in youth are associated with psychopathology, executive functions and educational outcomes.

Background: Understanding deviations from typical brain development is a promising approach to comprehend pathophysiology in childhood and adolescence. We investigated if cerebellar volumes different than expected for age and sex could predict psychopathology, executive functions and academic achievement.

Methods: Children and adolescents aged 6-17 years from the Brazilian High-Risk Cohort Study for Mental Conditions had their cerebellar volume estimated using Multiple Automatically Generated Templates from T1-weighted images at baseline ( = 677) and at 3-year follow-up ( = 447).

Association between preterm infant size at 1 year and ADHD later in life: data from 1993 and 2004 Pelotas Birth Cohorts.

The objective of this study is to examine the association between preterm infants' size at 1 year and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessed categorically and dimensionally in childhood and adolescence. We studied infants born < 37 weeks' gestation from two Brazilian birth cohorts (n = 653). ADHD was evaluated using the Development and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA) interview at the age of 6 years in one cohort and by a structured interview according to DSM-5 criteria at 18 years in the other one.

Longitudinal associations between positive attributes and psychopathology and their interactive effects on educational outcomes.

Psychopathology is associated with impaired learning and early termination of schooling, whereas positive attributes are associated with better educational outcomes. However, it is important to understand if and how psychopathology and positive attributes longitudinally impact each other so we could shed light on where to intervene to promote educational outcomes through these constructs. A large prospective school-based community cohort of youths (5-15 years of age, 45% female) were assessed and followed up for 3 years (n = 2010; 80% retention).

Effects of computerized cognitive training as add-on treatment to stimulants in ADHD: a pilot fMRI study.

The neurofunctional effects of Cognitive training (CT) are poorly understood. Our main objective was to assess fMRI brain activation patterns in children with ADHD who received CT as an add-on treatment to stimulant medication. We included twenty children with ADHD from a clinical trial of stimulant medication and CT (10 in medication + CT and 10 in medication + non-active training).

Computerized Cognitive Training for ADHD as an Add-On Treatment to Stimulants: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Computerized cognitive training (CCT) as add-on treatment to stimulants for ADHD core symptoms is scarcely investigated. The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of CCT in a randomized controlled clinical trial for ADHD in children and adolescents treated with stimulants. Fifty-three participants aged 6 to 13 years receiving stimulant treatment and presenting ADHD residual symptoms were randomized either to a CCT ( = 29) or to a controlled nonactive condition ( = 24) for four sessions/week during 12 weeks.

Methylphenidate Alters Functional Connectivity of Default Mode Network in Drug-Naive Male Adults With ADHD.

This study evaluated the hypothesis that methylphenidate immediate release (MPH-IR) treatment would improve Default Mode Network (DMN) within-connectivity. Resting-state functional connectivity of the main nodes of DMN was evaluated in a highly homogeneous sample of 18 drug-naive male adult participants with ADHD. Comparing resting-state functional connectivity functional magnetic resonance imaging (R-fMRI) scans before and after MPH treatment focusing exclusively on within-DMN connectivity, we evidenced the strengthening of functional connectivity between two nodes of the DMN: posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and left lateral parietal cortex (LLP).

Computerized cognitive training in children and adolescents with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder as add-on treatment to stimulants: feasibility study and protocol description.

Background: Cognitive training has received increasing attention as a non-pharmacological approach for the treatment of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents. Few studies have assessed cognitive training as add-on treatment to medication in randomized placebo controlled trials. The purpose of this preliminary study was to explore the feasibility of implementing a computerized cognitive training program for ADHD in our environment, describe its main characteristics and potential efficacy in a small pilot study.

Transcranial direct current stimulation improves short-term memory in an animal model of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by impairing levels of hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention. However, different meta-analyses have reported disruptions in short and long-term memory in ADHD patients. Previous studies indicate that mnemonic dysfunctions might be the result of deficits in attentional circuits, probably due to ineffective dopaminergic modulation of hippocampal synaptic plasticity.

Correlation between Peripheral Levels of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Hippocampal Volume in Children and Adolescents with Bipolar Disorder.

Pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD) is a serious mental disorder that affects the development and emotional growth of affected patients. The brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is recognized as one of the possible markers of the framework and its evolution. Abnormalities in BDNF signaling in the hippocampus could explain the cognitive decline seen in patients with TB.

Long-Term Efficacy of Methylphenidate Immediate-Release for the Treatment of Childhood ADHD.

Objective: To evaluate the long-term effects of methylphenidate imediate-release (MPH-IR), and to confirm the efficacy established in previous meta-analyses of short-term studies.

Method: Published and unpublished studies in which participants were treated with MPH-IR for 12 weeks or more were searched. Pooled effect sizes from these studies were computed with the DerSimonian and Laird random-effect model.

Attention-based classification pattern, a research domain criteria framework, in youths with bipolar disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Objective: The National Institute of Mental Health has initiated the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) project. Instead of using disorder categories as the basis for grouping individuals, the RDoC suggests finding relevant dimensions that can cut across traditional disorders. Our aim was to use the RDoC's framework to study patterns of attention deficit based on results of Conners' Continuous Performance Test (CPT II) in youths diagnosed with bipolar disorder (BD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), BD+ADHD and controls.

[Translation and adaptation of the Motorcycle Rider Behavior Questionnaire: a Brazilian version].

Traffic accidents are a leading cause of death in young adults. In Brazil, traffic accidents are proportionally more prevalent among motorcyclists as compared to automobile drivers. Although numerous data indicate that individual characteristics are involved in traffic accident risk, there is no instrument in Brazil to assess motorcyclists' traffic behavior.

The prevalence of psychopathology in offspring of bipolar women from a Brazilian tertiary center.

Objective: No previous study has assessed the occurrence of psychopathology in offspring of bipolar women from South America. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of psychopathology in offspring of bipolar mothers from Brazil compared with two control groups.

Method: Children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 years of bipolar disorders mothers (n = 43), mothers with other mild to moderate mental disorders (n = 53) and mothers without any psychiatric disorder (n = 53) were evaluated using the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia present and lifetime version, the Child Behavior Checklist and the Youth Self-Report.