Neuropsychopharmacology: Stimulant medications in children with ADHD normalize the structure of brain regions associated with attention and reward

A study published in the Neuropsychopharmacology journal discusses how in a large study of children aged 9-11, researchers found that untreated high ADHD symptoms were associated with structural brain abnormalities related to saliency and reward processing. However, children with ADHD symptoms who were on stimulant medication showed no differences in brain structure compared to typically developing controls, suggesting that medication may not only improve ADHD symptoms but also normalize associated brain structural differences.