Working memory training in young children with ADHD: a randomized placebo-controlled trial

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Child Psychology
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Limited evidence exists for working memory training's effectiveness in treating ADHD core symptoms in children.
• No prior studies have investigated working memory training in very young children diagnosed with ADHD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the efficacy of Cogmed Working Memory Training (CWMT) in young children (5-7 years) with ADHD.
• To evaluate CWMT's impact on core ADHD symptoms, neurocognitive function, and executive functioning.

Main Methods:

• A triple-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study involving 51 children with ADHD.
• Participants received either adaptive (active) or nonadaptive (placebo) training for 25 sessions over 5 weeks.
• Primary outcome was ADHD core symptoms (ADHD Rating Scale IV); secondary outcomes included neurocognitive and executive functioning.

Main Results:

• A statistically significant improvement was observed in a verbal working memory task for the active group, but this did not persist after multiple testing corrections.
• No significant treatment effects were found for primary or other secondary outcome measures.
• Increased training difficulty positively correlated with ADHD-RS and executive function ratings, but showed no significant group difference.

Conclusions:

• The study did not find robust evidence supporting the benefits of CWMT over placebo training for young children with ADHD.
• CWMT did not demonstrate significant improvements in behavioral symptoms, neurocognitive function, or executive functioning in this age group.