Methylphenidate normalizes emotional processing in adult patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: Preliminary findings
Abstract
Emotional-motivational dysfunctions may significantly contribute to symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Hyperactive-impulsive symptoms and sensation seeking could be the result of a search for reinforcers, and cognitive dysfunctions might be due to a low motivational drive. Emotional-motivational dysfunctions could also explain social dysfunctions in ADHD patients because they may lead to misinterpretations of emotional and social clues. Since methylphenidate (MPH) is the first choice as a pharmacological treatment in ADHD, we examined its influence on dysfunctional emotional processes. 13 adult ADHD patients were examined twice, without and after intake of MPH according to their personal medication regimen. The affect-modulated startle paradigm was used to assess physiological (affect-modulated startle response) and subjective (valence and arousal ratings) responses to pleasant, neutral and unpleasant visual stimuli. Healthy controls displayed affective startle modulation as expected, with startle attenuation and potentiation while watching pleasant and unpleasant pictures, respectively. In contrast, unmedicated ADHD patients displayed deficient responses to pleasant stimuli; no startle attenuation during the exposure to pleasant pictures was observed. However, MPH reinstated a normal affective startle modulation, as indicated by attenuation and potentiation associated with pleasant and unpleasant pictures, respectively. Valence and arousal ratings of patients were not affected by MPH. The data suggest that MPH as first choice treatment in ADHD has a positive impact on emotional processes in adult ADHD patients and points to the clinical relevance of emotional-dysfunctions in ADHD.
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This behavioral normalization is accompanied by normalization of underlying neural activity.
“This behavioral normalization is accompanied by normalization of underlying neural activity (80, 82, 92).”
From Emotion Dysregulation in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (2014) · cites this paper as [82]
The startle reflex effect (accentuated by positive and attenuated by negative stimuli) is lost in adults with ADHD.
“Additionally, whereas the startle reflex is typically accentuated by precursive positive and attenuated by negative stimuli, this effect is lost in adults with ADHD, further evidence of abnormal early processing of emotional stimuli in ADHD (82).”
From Emotion Dysregulation in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (2014) · cites this paper as [82]
Among individuals with ADHD, psychostimulants also improve emotion recognition, and normalize both the startle modulation by affective stimuli and performance on the emotional Stroop task.
“Among individuals with ADHD, psychostimulants also improve emotion recognition (80), and normalize both the startle modulation by affective stimuli (82) and performance on the emotional Stroop task (92).”
From Emotion Dysregulation in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (2014) · cites this paper as [82]
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Emotion Dysregulation in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Conzelmann, A., Woidich, E., Mucha, R. F., Weyers, P., Jacob, C. P., Lesch, K.-P., & Pauli, P.
- Affiliations
- University of Würzburg (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Pauli, Paul
- Venue
- Brain Research
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2011-03
- Volume
- 1381
- Pages
- 159-166
- ISSN
- 0006-8993 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2092648439
- Cited by
- 27
- References
- 56
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 2.19
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- Brain Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (KFO 125/1)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Keywords
- methylphenidate, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, adult ADHD, emotional processing, startle potentiation, valence ratings, arousal ratings, emotion regulation, pharmacotherapy
- MeSH terms
- Acoustic Stimulation, Adult, Central Nervous System Stimulants, Analysis of Variance, Arousal, Attention, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Emotions, Female, Humans, Male, Methylphenidate, Middle Aged, Reflex, Startle
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