Results indicate that combined treatment is associated with significant improvements on all clinical measures. Limitations of the study design and directions for future research are discussed.

Background Impulsivity is a core deficit in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) has been shown to modulate cognitive control circuits and could enhance DLPFC activity, leading to improved impulse control in ADHD. Objective/Hypothesis We predicted 2.0 mA anodal stimulation (tDCS) versus sham stimulation applied over the left DLPFC would improve Conners Continuous Performance Task (CPT) scores. Our secondary hypothesis predicted that stop signal task (SST) reaction time would decrease with tDCS (versus sham). Methods Thirty-seven participants completed two periods of three tDCS (or sham) sessions two weeks apart in a within-subject, double-blind, counterbalanced order. Participants performed a fractal N-back training task concurrent with tDCS (or sham) stimulation. Participants completed the CPT and SST at the beginning of treatment (baseline), at the end of the treatment, and at a 3-day post-stimulation follow-up. Results There was a significant stimulation condition by session interaction for CPT false positive scores (χ2 =15.44, p<0.001) driven by a decrease in false positive errors from baseline to end of treatment in the tDCS group (β=−0.36, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) −0.54 to −0.18, p<0.001). This effect did not persist at follow-up (β=−0.13, p>0.05). There was no significant stimulation condition by session interaction effect on CPT true positive errors or response time (ps>0.05). No significant change in SSRT performance was observed (p>0.05). Conclusion These findings suggest that stimulation of the left DLPFC with tDCS can improve impulsivity symptoms in ADHD, supporting the therapeutic potential for tDCS in adult ADHD patients.

Based on this emerging technology, conjectures of future uses of social media by researchers and clinicians to better understand the naturalistic manifestations and sequelae of ADHD.

Psychological treatment may play a critical role in the management of adults with ADHD who are motivated and developmentally ready to acquire new skills as symptoms remit.

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Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was formerly thought to be exclusively a disorder of childhood. However, research has indicated that a majority of individuals diagnosed with ADHD will continue to exhibit clinical significant symptoms in adulthood. Many other individuals may not have their symptoms recognized and diagnosed until facing difficulties in adulthood. Medications are the most effective single treatment for individuals with ADHD of all ages. However, medications alone may represent insufficient treatment for many adults with ADHD. Consequently, various adjunctive treatments for adult ADHD have been developed, with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) emerging as a particularly promising one. The goal of this article is to discuss how CBT has been adapted in light of the prevailing model of dysfunction for ADHD and to propose hypothesized mechanisms of change that may produce the positive therapeutic changes obtained in clinical outcome studies.

While attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most prevalent behavioral disorder of childhood, the past decade has seen a rise in the number of adults presenting for treatment with difficulties related to ADHD. Few treatments (particularly psychosocial treatments) offered to adult patients with ADHD, however, have been empirically tested, much less been grounded in an overarching treatment model that captures the complexity of the various neurobiological, developmental, and psychological issues germane to this clinical population. The purpose of this article is to introduce a cognitive therapy approach for treating adults with ADHD. To do so we will describe the nature of ADHD, discuss some of the clinical issues unique to this diagnosis, and outline a cognitive therapy approach for conceptualizing and treating adult ADHD, integrating a number of case examples.

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