Effects of methylphenidate on working memory components: influence of measurement
Abstract
Background: To investigate the effects of methylphenidate (MPH) on components of working memory (WM) in attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and determine the responsiveness of WM measures to MPH. Methods: Participants were a clinical sample of 50 children and adolescents with ADHD, aged 6 to 16 years old, who participated in an acute randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, crossover trial with single challenges of three MPH doses. Four components of WM were investigated, which varied in processing demands (storage versus manipulation of information) and modality (auditory‐verbal; visual‐spatial), each of which was indexed by a minimum of two separate measures. Results: MPH improved the ability to store visual‐spatial information irrespective of instrument used, but had no effects on the storage of auditory‐verbal information. By contrast, MPH enhanced the ability to manipulate both auditory‐verbal and visual‐spatial information, although effects were instrument specific in both cases. Conclusions: MPH effects on WM are selective: they vary as a function of WM component and measurement.
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Psychostimulant medications appear to improve basic non-executive cognitive processes such as attention and response speed, but their effect on tasks with a prominent executive component, such as central executive working memory, is much more limited.
“psychostimulant medications appear to improve basic (non-executive) cognitive processes such as attention and response speed, whereas their impact on tasks with a prominent executive component, such as central executive working memory, is considerably more limited”
From Improving Outcomes for Youth with ADHD: A Conceptual Framework for Combined Neurocognitive and Skill-Based Treatment Approaches (2014) · cites this paper as Bedard, Jain, Hogg-Johnson, & Tannock, 2007
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- Authors
- Bedard, A., Jain, U., Johnson, S. H., & Tannock, R.
- Affiliations
- University of Toronto (CA)
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Tannock, Rosemary
- ORCID
- Bedard, Anne‐Claude
- Venue
- Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2007-08-09
- Volume
- 48
- Issue
- 9
- Pages
- 872-880
- ISSN
- 0021-9630 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-7610
- OpenAlex
- W1538570794
- Semantic Scholar
- 615bcb12342ea6fb40adf4cab7fb2d0c2e03e476
- Cited by
- 81
- References
- 19
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 7
- FWCI
- 5.23
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Developmental and Educational Neuropsychology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
- Keywords
- methylphenidate, working memory, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, children and adolescents, visuospatial working memory, auditory-verbal working memory, information storage, information manipulation, measurement sensitivity, stimulant medication effects
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Central Nervous System Stimulants, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Child, Double-Blind Method, Female, Humans, Male, Memory, Short-Term, Methylphenidate, Severity of Illness Index, Cross-Over Studies
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