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The effects of stimulant and non-stimulant medications on the autonomic nervous system (ANS) functioning in people with ADHD: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Idrees I 1 , Bellato A 2 , Cortese S 3 , Groom MJ 4

Affiliations 

  • 1 Academic Unit of Mental Health & Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, Institute of Mental Health, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK. Electronic address: [email protected]
  • 2 School of Psychology, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Malaysia
  • 3 Academic Unit of Mental Health & Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, Institute of Mental Health, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; Centre for Innovation in Mental Health, School of Psychology, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK; Clinical and Experimental Sciences (CNS and Psychiatry), Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK; Solent NHS Trust, Southampton, UK; Hassenfeld Children's Hospital at NYU Langone, New York University Child Study Center, New York, NY, USA
  • 4 Academic Unit of Mental Health & Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, Institute of Mental Health, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
Neurosci Biobehav Rev, 2023 Jan;144:104968.
PMID: 36427764 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104968

Abstract

We carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the effects of stimulant and non-stimulant medications on autonomic functioning in people with ADHD (PROSPERO: CRD42020212439). We searched (9th August 2021) PsycInfo, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science and The Cochrane Library, for randomised and non-randomised studies reporting indices of autonomic activity, (electrodermal, pupillometry and cardiac), pre- and post-medication exposure in people meeting DSM/ICD criteria for ADHD. In the narrative syntheses, we included 5 electrodermal studies, 1 pupillometry study and 57 studies investigating heart rate and blood pressure. In the meta-analyses, 29 studies were included on blood pressure and 32 on heart rate. Administration of stimulants, and to a lesser degree, non-stimulants increased heart rate and blood pressure in people with ADHD. Similarly, an upregulation of arousal, reflected in increased electrodermal activity and pupil diameter was observed following stimulant use. Yet, the methodological diversity of studies presented in this review reinforces the need for more standardised and rigorous research to fully understand the relationship between arousal, medication, and behaviour in ADHD.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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