Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37500785›Full record

Trial reportPsychopharmacology2023

Single-dose effects of methylphenidate and atomoxetine on functional connectivity during an n-back task in boys with ADHD.

Olivia S Kowalczyk, Ana I Cubillo, Marion Criaud, Vincent Giampietro, Owen G O'Daly, Mitul A Mehta, Katya Rubia

Open access · hybridAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Psychopharmacology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
2.2field-weighted citation impact, top 12% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Cannabinoids and ADHD: a New Frontier in Neuropharmacology?Journal of molecular neuroscience : MN · 2025
    Review
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Article
  8. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.

Olivia S KowalczykDepartment of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK. olivia.kowalczyk@kcl.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6543-290X
Ana I CubilloDepartment of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Marion CriaudDepartment of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Vincent GiampietroDepartment of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Owen G O'DalyDepartment of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Mitul A MehtaDepartment of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Katya RubiaDepartment of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
King's College London · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

rationaleWorking memory deficits and associated neurofunctional abnormalities are frequently reported in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methylphenidate and atomoxetine improve working memory performance and increase activation of regions under-functioning in ADHD. Additionally, methylphenidate has been observed to modulate functional networks involved in working memory. No research, however, has examined the effects of atomoxetine or compared the two drugs.

objectivesThis study aimed to test methylphenidate and atomoxetine effects on functional connectivity during working memory in boys with ADHD.

methodsWe tested comparative effects of methylphenidate and atomoxetine on functional connectivity during the n-back task in 19 medication-naïve boys with ADHD (10-15 years old) relative to placebo and assessed potential normalisation effects of brain dysfunctions under placebo relative to 20 age-matched neurotypical boys. Patients were scanned in a randomised, double-blind, cross-over design under single doses of methylphenidate, atomoxetine, and placebo. Controls were scanned once, unmedicated.

resultsPatients under placebo showed abnormally increased connectivity between right superior parietal gyrus (rSPG) and left central operculum/insula. This hyperconnectivity was not observed when patients were under methylphenidate or atomoxetine. Furthermore, under methylphenidate, patients showed increased connectivity relative to controls between right middle frontal gyrus (rMFG) and cingulo-temporo-parietal and striato-thalamic regions, and between rSPG and cingulo-parietal areas. Interrogating these networks within patients revealed increased connectivity between both rMFG and rSPG and right supramarginal gyrus under methylphenidate relative to placebo. Nonetheless, no differences across drug conditions were observed within patients at whole brain level. No drug effects on performance were observed.

conclusionsThis study shows shared modulating effects of methylphenidate and atomoxetine on parieto-insular connectivity but exclusive effects of methylphenidate on connectivity increases in fronto-temporo-parietal and fronto-striato-thalamic networks in ADHD.

Indexed as

Attention Deficit Disorder with HyperactivityCentral Nervous System StimulantsMethylphenidateAdolescentAtomoxetine HydrochlorideBrainChildFrontal LobeHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleAtomoxetine HydrochlorideCentral Nervous System StimulantsMethylphenidateADHDAtomoxetineAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorderfMRIFunctional connectivityFunctional magnetic resonance imagingMethylphenidatePsychophysiological interactionWorking memory

Identifiers

PMID37500785
PMCPMC10506949
OpenAlexW4385302626

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.