Effects of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Stimulant Medication on Concussion Symptom Reporting and
Ashley C Littleton1, Julianne D Schmidt2, Johna K Register-Mihalik3
1Human Movement Science and Exercise and Sport Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA alittlet@live.unc.edu al70314@gmail.com.
Summary
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and stimulant medications impact concussion test performance. Unmedicated ADHD patients performed worse, but improved to control levels when medicated.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Sports Medicine
Background:
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder.
- The impact of ADHD and its treatment on concussion assessment is not well understood.
- Concussion evaluations rely on neurocognitive measures that may be affected by underlying conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the consistency of concussion measure performance in unmedicated ADHD and control groups.
- To compare neurocognitive performance between unmedicated ADHD participants and controls.
- To determine the effect of stimulant medication on the neurocognitive performance of ADHD participants.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of college-aged participants, including 22 with ADHD and 22 matched controls, were assessed.
- Participants completed a symptom checklist and computerized neurocognitive testing (CNS Vital Signs) across three sessions.
- The ADHD group was medicated during the third session, while all participants remained unmedicated for the first two.
Main Results:
- Neurocognitive measures demonstrated consistent reliability (ICC2,1) for both groups across sessions.
- Unmedicated ADHD participants exhibited poorer psychomotor speed compared to controls (p < 0.001).
- ADHD participants showed improved reaction time when medicated compared to their unmedicated state (p = 0.02), performing comparably to controls.
Conclusions:
- Concussion assessment measures are reliable in both ADHD and control groups.
- Stimulant medication significantly improves neurocognitive performance in individuals with ADHD, bringing them to levels comparable to controls.
- Clinical interpretation of concussion test scores requires consideration of the patient's ADHD medication status.
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