Cited by 82Attention Deficit Hyperactivity DisorderDevelopmental and Educational NeuropsychologyNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior

Effects of methylphenidate on executive functioning in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder across the lifespan: a meta-regression analysis

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Tamminga, H. G. H., Reneman, L., Huizenga, H. M., Geurts, H. M.·2016·Psychological Medicine

Abstract

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in childhood and adulthood is often treated with the psychostimulant methylphenidate (MPH). However, it is unknown whether cognitive effects of MPH depend on age in individuals with ADHD, while animal studies have suggested age-related effects. In this meta-analysis, we first determined the effects of MPH on response inhibition, working memory and sustained attention, but our main goal was to examine whether these effects are moderated by age. A systematic literature search using PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science and MEDLINE for double-blind, placebo-controlled studies with MPH resulted in 25 studies on response inhibition ( n = 775), 13 studies on working memory ( n = 559) and 29 studies on sustained attention ( n = 956) (mean age range 4.8–50.1 years). The effects of MPH on response inhibition [effect size ( ES ) = 0.40, p < 0.0001, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.22–0.58], working memory ( ES = 0.24, p = 0.053, 95% CI 0.00–0.48) and sustained attention ( ES = 0.42, p < 0.0001, 95% CI 26–0.59) were small to moderate. No linear or quadratic age-dependencies were observed, indicating that effects of MPH on executive functions are independent of age in children and adults with ADHD. However, adolescent studies are lacking and needed to conclude a lack of an age-dependency across the lifespan.

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  • Four meta-analyses testing predominantly single dose effects of stimulants on cognitive performance in children and adults with ADHD have most consistently found effects on mean reaction time (MRT), attention, inhibition and working memory (WM).

    “Four meta-analyses testing predominantly single dose effects of stimulants on cognitive performance in children and adults with ADHD, have most consistently found effects on mean reaction time (MRT), attention, inhibition and WM (17, 22, 29, 30).”

    From Differential effects of a single dose of Lisdexamfetamine and Guanfacine on cognitive function in children with ADHD (2025) · cites this paper as [29]

    Split into 2 atoms — 1 confirmed, 1 partially supported, 0 disputed, 0 misattributed, 0 unverifiable. Expand the claim to see per-atom verdicts.

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  • The lisdexamfetamine effects on RT and CV extend findings that methylphenidate consistently improves RTV and RT in children with ADHD.

    “They extend findings of methylphenidate consistently improving RTV and RT in children with ADHD (22, 29–31), with meta-analytic fMRI evidence showing that this may be underpinned neurofunctionally by MPH-induced deactivation of frontal areas of the DMN which is associated with RTV in people with ADHD (75).”

    From Differential effects of a single dose of Lisdexamfetamine and Guanfacine on cognitive function in children with ADHD (2025) · cites this paper as [29]

    The Results report that methylphenidate improved sustained attention, and the Conclusions say that this effect was similar in size to a pediatric meta-analysis’s finding for reaction-time variability (RTV). But this paper analyzed sustained attention using omissions, not RT or RTV directly, and it does not establish that methylphenidate consistently improves both RT and RTV in children. The separate fMRI claim is attached to citation 75, not this source. (LLM, conf=0.82)

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  • The study's findings could extend evidence for acute and chronic methylphenidate administration significantly improving timing and attention functions in children with ADHD including the same tasks.

    “These findings could extend evidence for acute and chronic methylphenidate administration significantly improving timing (66, 94) and attention functions in children with ADHD including the same tasks (22, 29–31).”

    From Differential effects of a single dose of Lisdexamfetamine and Guanfacine on cognitive function in children with ADHD (2025) · cites this paper as [29]

    The Results section, “Effect of MPH on response inhibition, working memory and sustained attention” (page unavailable), reports a significant improvement in sustained attention. But the Conclusions (page unavailable) explicitly say timing was not included in the analysis because too few studies addressed it. The pooled finding also spans children and adults; it does not establish that both acute and chronic administration significantly improved the specified functions in children using the same tasks. (LLM, conf=0.90)

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  • A meta-analysis found methylphenidate treatment for ADHD had no significant effect on working memory.

    “A meta-analysis of methylphenidate treatment for ADHD found moderate improvements in response inhibition (25 studies, 787 participants) and sustained attention (29 studies, 956 participants), but no significant effect on working memory (13 studies, 559 participants) (Tamminga et al., 2016).”
  • A meta-analysis found methylphenidate treatment for ADHD produced moderate improvements in response inhibition.

    “A meta-analysis of methylphenidate treatment for ADHD found moderate improvements in response inhibition (25 studies, 787 participants) and sustained attention (29 studies, 956 participants), but no significant effect on working memory (13 studies, 559 participants) (Tamminga et al., 2016).”

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. [53]53. Methylphenidate and executive functioning in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder 1805 https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291716000350 Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. UVA Universiteitsbibliotheek, on 25 Jan 2017 at 13:28:35, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms.

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Authors
Tamminga, H. G. H., Reneman, L., Huizenga, H. M., & Geurts, H. M.
Affiliations
  • Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam (NL)
  • University of Amsterdam (NL)
Corresponding author
Tamminga, H. G. H.
Venue
Psychological Medicine
Published
2016-03-28
Volume
46
Issue
9
Pages
1791-1807
ISSN
  • 0033-2917 (ISSN-L)
  • 1469-8978
OpenAlex
W2316191253
Cited by
82
References
103
Citations by year
2026: 10 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 2
FWCI
0.95
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Psychological Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Pure Amsterdam UMC (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
  • UvA-DARE (University of Amsterdam) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (452–10-003, 453-12-005, 1002-40)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Developmental and Educational Neuropsychology
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
Keywords
methylphenidate, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, executive function, response inhibition, working memory, sustained attention, age effects, psychostimulants, lifespan, children, adults
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Age Factors, Central Nervous System Stimulants, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Child, Child, Preschool, Humans, Methylphenidate, Middle Aged, Young Adult, Executive Function

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