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Cited by 43Neuroethics, Human Enhancement, Biomedical InnovationsAttention Deficit Hyperactivity DisorderNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior

Neurocognitive, Autonomic, and Mood Effects of Adderall: A Pilot Study of Healthy College Students

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Weyandt, Lisa L., White, Tara L., Gudmundsdottir, Bergljot Gyda, Nitenson, Adam Z., Rathkey, Emma S., De Leon, Kelvin A., Bjorn, Stephanie A.·2018·Pharmacy
DOI 10.3390/pharmacy6030058PMC PMC6165228
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Abstract

Prescription stimulant medications are considered a safe and long-term effective treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Studies support that stimulants enhance attention, memory, self-regulation and executive function in individuals with ADHD. Recent research, however, has found that many college students without ADHD report misusing prescription stimulants, primarily to enhance their cognitive abilities. This practice raises the question whether stimulants actually enhance cognitive functioning in college students without ADHD. We investigated the effects of mixed-salts amphetamine (i.e., Adderall, 30 mg) on cognitive, autonomic and emotional functioning in a pilot sample of healthy college students without ADHD (n = 13), using a double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subjects design. The present study was the first to explore cognitive effects in conjunction with mood, autonomic effects, and self-perceptions of cognitive enhancement. Results revealed that Adderall had minimal, but mixed, effects on cognitive processes relevant to neurocognitive enhancement (small effects), and substantial effects on autonomic responses, subjective drug experiences, and positive states of activated emotion (large effects). Overall, the present findings indicate dissociation between the effects of Adderall on activation and neurocognition, and more importantly, contrary to common belief, Adderall had little impact on neurocognitive performance in healthy college students. Given the pilot design of the study and small sample size these findings should be interpreted cautiously. The results have implications for future studies and the education of healthy college students and adults who commonly use Adderall to enhance neurocognition.

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  • It is unlikely that minor enhancement effects on objective tasks would translate into improved real-world academic performance.

    “Further, although some studies found small enhancement effects on these tasks for some NPDs (e.g., response time variability measured by a computer task; Weyandt et al. 2018), it is unlikely that such a minor enhancement would translate into improved real-world academic performance (Evans et al., 2021).”

    From Effects of stimulant medication on neuropsychological functioning in college students without ADHD. (2026) · cites this paper as Weyandt et al. 2018

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Weyandt, L. L., White, T. L., Gudmundsdottir, B. G., Nitenson, A. Z., Rathkey, E. S., De Leon, K. A., & Bjorn, S. A.
Affiliations
  • University of Rhode Island (US)
  • Brown University (US)
  • Breidholt Service Center, 109 Reykjavik, Iceland
  • Neuroscience Graduate Program, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Corresponding author
Weyandt, Lisa L.
ORCID
Venue
Pharmacy
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2018-06-27
Volume
6
Issue
3
Pages
58
ISSN
2226-4787 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/pharmacy6030058
PMC
PMC6165228
OpenAlex
W2810804967
Cited by
43
References
5
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 2
FWCI
3.08
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Pharmacy (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Journal of Media Literacy Education (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • National Science Foundation (1058262)
  • Brown University
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Institute of Mental Health (T32MH020068)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NS080686, R25NS080686)
  • National Center for Research Resources (G20RR030883, NS080686)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neuroethics, Human Enhancement, Biomedical Innovations
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
Keywords
Adderall, amphetamine, stimulant medication, cognitive enhancement, university students, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, neuropsychological performance, autonomic responses, mood, stimulant abuse, healthy individuals

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