Adult ADHD May Be Associated With an Increased Risk of Dementia, Study Finds (msn.com) 25
A new study found that adult ADHD "may take a toll on the brain and is linked to a higher likelihood of developing dementia," reports the Washington Post:
A study published in JAMA Network Open reported that being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult is associated with a 2.77-fold increased risk of dementia.
The study only showed an association and doesn't tell us whether ADHD is a direct cause of cognitive decline. But the results suggest that "if you do have attention-deficit disorder, you're going to have more trouble with normal brain aging," said Sandra Black, a cognitive neurologist at Sunnybrook Research Institute in Toronto who was not involved in the study. "It adds another risk factor...."
Notably, of the 730 participants with adult ADHD, 13.2 percent (96 participants) were diagnosed with dementia. In contrast, of the 108,388 participants without adult ADHD, just 7 percent (7,630 participants) developed dementia. Intriguingly, adults with ADHD who were taking a psychostimulant medication such as Ritalin or Adderall did not have an increased risk of developing dementia compared with those not taking medication. Only 22.3 percent of people with ADHD had taken a psychostimulant medication at any point.
The Post also notes the work of Sara Becker, a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Calgary. "In a 2023 systematic review, Becker and her colleagues identified only seven previous studies investigating the link between ADHD and neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia, most of which found that adult ADHD conferred a higher dementia risk."
The research highlights the importance of seeking care — and the need for more research. Treatment with psychostimulant medications may attenuate the risk, said Stephen Levine, a professor at the University of Haifa's School of Public Health in Israel and the lead author of the study. Lifestyle changes, such as better sleep and staying socially engaged, can also lower risk for dementia....
A 2020 landmark study by the Lancet Commission highlighted 12 modifiable factors for dementia that, if addressed, could mitigate the risk of dementia by up to 40 percent. Some of these factors are hearing loss, excessive alcohol intake and smoking.
Other lifestyle changes that lower your risk of demential include keeping up your physical activity, and eating a Mediterranean diet, the Post reports (citing cognitive neurologist Sandra Black).
An estimated 3 percent of adults have ADHD.
The study only showed an association and doesn't tell us whether ADHD is a direct cause of cognitive decline. But the results suggest that "if you do have attention-deficit disorder, you're going to have more trouble with normal brain aging," said Sandra Black, a cognitive neurologist at Sunnybrook Research Institute in Toronto who was not involved in the study. "It adds another risk factor...."
Notably, of the 730 participants with adult ADHD, 13.2 percent (96 participants) were diagnosed with dementia. In contrast, of the 108,388 participants without adult ADHD, just 7 percent (7,630 participants) developed dementia. Intriguingly, adults with ADHD who were taking a psychostimulant medication such as Ritalin or Adderall did not have an increased risk of developing dementia compared with those not taking medication. Only 22.3 percent of people with ADHD had taken a psychostimulant medication at any point.
The Post also notes the work of Sara Becker, a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Calgary. "In a 2023 systematic review, Becker and her colleagues identified only seven previous studies investigating the link between ADHD and neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia, most of which found that adult ADHD conferred a higher dementia risk."
The research highlights the importance of seeking care — and the need for more research. Treatment with psychostimulant medications may attenuate the risk, said Stephen Levine, a professor at the University of Haifa's School of Public Health in Israel and the lead author of the study. Lifestyle changes, such as better sleep and staying socially engaged, can also lower risk for dementia....
A 2020 landmark study by the Lancet Commission highlighted 12 modifiable factors for dementia that, if addressed, could mitigate the risk of dementia by up to 40 percent. Some of these factors are hearing loss, excessive alcohol intake and smoking.
Other lifestyle changes that lower your risk of demential include keeping up your physical activity, and eating a Mediterranean diet, the Post reports (citing cognitive neurologist Sandra Black).
An estimated 3 percent of adults have ADHD.
OK (Score:4, Funny)
Somebody summarize that article and let me know what it's about later.
Re: OK (Score:2)
Very loose summary: some/many elderly people suffering from "dementia" are really suffering the effects of undiagnosed or untreated ADHD that might be exacerbated by aging... and giving them stimulant meds might meaningfully improve their condition.
It's also possible for someone to have *both* ADHD *and* Alzheimers, with untreated ADHD multiplying the effects of early Alzheimers... in which case they're still long-term fucked, but at least the early stages might be profoundly improved by stim meds (and disc
Re: OK (Score:4, Informative)
The data in the paper actually show a stronger comorbidity between depression and Alzheimer's than between ADHD and Alzheimer's. Since the authors didn't provide any other correlative data that can be used to rule out an indirect link, the whole article should be pulped as a matter of course.
Re: (Score:2)
Somebody summarize that article and let me know what it's about later.
The importance of getting on drugs that you take every day of your life is very important, because important.
PROFIT!
Chicken and Egg (Score:2)
Is adult ADHD a possible cause of dementia or an early symptom?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Is adult ADHD a possible cause of dementia or an early symptom?
Also check the eyes [cnn.com]. It seems blood flow [hopkinsmedicine.org] and other items within the eye may foretell a decline in mental acuities leading to Alzheimer's.
Lack of sleep [nih.gov] in middle age seems linked to Alzheimer's [npr.org] as well.
Re: (Score:2)
It’s possibly an exacerbating cause but it’s highly unlikely to be an early symptom. Our current understandings of the two conditions are fairly dissimilar. Both ADHD lifestyle habits and differences in neurological activity could definitely be the sort of thing that contributes to Alzheimers.
Not terribly surprising (Score:2)
Malfunctioning brains are more at risk of breaking down completely just like any system with a built-in defect.
Per the title. (Score:1)
Untreated ADHD+Dementia: correlation/causation? (Score:1)
This reminds me of all that bullshit from the 90s about wine being good for your health. You don't get healthier by drinking wine. If you're drinking wine (in the USA), you're probably middle-class or wealthier. If you're more affluent, you go to more routine medical visits, early screening, etc.
Re: (Score:2)
If you're drinking wine (in the USA), you're probably middle-class or wealthier.
Or it came in a box... or just came from Grocery Outlet or similar, they regularly have seriously cheap wine. Some of it is even quite good I hear, but I don't like wine so I'm no judge.
Wine is generally quite a bit stronger than beer, so it's got that going for it.
Wine wasn't popular among working class Americans (Score:2)
If you're drinking wine (in the USA), you're probably middle-class or wealthier.
Or it came in a box... or just came from Grocery Outlet or similar, they regularly have seriously cheap wine. Some of it is even quite good I hear, but I don't like wine so I'm no judge.
Wine is generally quite a bit stronger than beer, so it's got that going for it.
Wine is not more expensive, but it wasn't as common in the USA, especially 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago. Dementia is typically diagnosed 70 or later, right? Wine is more common today, but for the people getting the diagnosis now, it was typically associated Europeans, the educated, or a special occasion. Working-class people were not huge into wine back then. I know it's different in France, Italy, and a few other European nations, but it wasn't as common among our poor. Of course, that's heart disease, bu
Correlation plausible. ( ADHD candidate here ) (Score:2)
The correlation is absolutely plausible. However it needn't and probably isn't a direct causation, at least not on its own.
What is very likely is that the certain deficits in social connection that ADHD types are prone to eventually lead to dementia regardless of initial brain performance or "default" propensity for dementia. Very much like the measurable link between age-related hearing loss and dementia.
I don't think (lack of) executive function / weakness in the frontal lobe need necessarily be a direct
Re: (Score:2)
The correlation is absolutely plausible. However it needn't and probably isn't a direct causation, at least not on its own.
What is very likely is that the certain deficits in social connection that ADHD types are prone to eventually lead to dementia regardless of initial brain performance or "default" propensity for dementia. Very much like the measurable link between age-related hearing loss and dementia.
The problem as I see it is that ADHD is very difficult to pin down. In my sone's class in school, every single male was diagnosed with ADHD (granted this diagnosis was by teachers) and most all were Ritalinized. All you had to do was attend the Teacher Parent conference where Miss Smith said your boy was ADHD, and visit your friendly doctor, and get the child drugged. Easy Peasy. 100 percent of young males suffered from ADHD
The sad part is that we created a couple generations of really messed up males, b
So tired of bad science (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Any more these days, science and academia are becoming jokes. At least with this study they are cautioning against reading too much into it.
Absolutely - that is why I get my science information from Politicians. Marjorie Taylor Greene is the fountainhed of science that you can take to the bank.
As someone with ADHD... (Score:1)
I came here to comment....
But. I forgot what I was going to say. I started thinking about it, then had an idea for a Dall-E prompt, so I went to do that. Then decided I wanted some chips, and went to the kitchen.
By time I got back, I couldn't remember what I was doing.
Who are you, and why am I wearing pants?
Growing up with undiagnosed ADHD is traumatic (Score:2)