Effects of stimulant medication on neuropsychological functioning in college students without ADHD

Nonmedical prescription stimulant use is prevalent among college students despite no evidence of meaningful neuropsychological improvement in students without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The present study addresses methodological limitations of existing placebo-controlled stimulant administration research by including a within-subject design, baseline comparison, and self-report/subjective measures of neuropsychological functioning to better clarify evidence of cognitive enhancement among college students without ADHD. Participants (n = 21) completed a no-drug baseline session and two counterbalanced experimental sessions that involved ingesting a placebo capsule or an amphetamine-dextroamphetamine immediate release 10 mg capsule. For each session, participants completed objective and self-report/subjective neuropsychological measures. Results indicated no significant differences across sessions for self-report/subjective measures and most objective measures. Specifically, for two outcomes on an objective measure (i.e., continuous performance task-identical pairs), performance improved in either the stimulant and placebo conditions compared to baseline or only the placebo condition compared to baseline. Taken together, the results of this study provide further evidence that stimulant medication does not confer neuropsychological improvement in students without ADHD, and perceived improvements may be better attributed to placebo, rather than pharmacological effects of a stimulant medication for this group. This information can inform ongoing efforts to discourage nonmedical prescription stimulant among college students without ADHD. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).