TL;DR
Get self-care and calm essentials delivered free — and shop member deals
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Access to Prime Big Deal Days deals on October 6–7
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
A study published in JAMA Psychiatry found that adults with ADHD in a U.S. cohort were more likely to develop dementia or mild cognitive impairment. The researchers also found an association with genetic risk for ADHD, but the results do not establish that ADHD causes dementia or show whether treatment changes risk.
A study of more than 187,000 U.S. adults aged 50 and older found that participants with ADHD were more likely to develop dementia or other cognitive impairment than those without a documented ADHD diagnosis. Published October 7 in JAMA Psychiatry, the research also linked higher genetic risk for ADHD with greater dementia risk, but it does not show that ADHD causes dementia.
Researchers led by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine analyzed health records and genetic data from participants in the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program. During the study, 6.7% of participants with ADHD developed dementia or cognitive impairment, compared with 3.4% of participants without ADHD. After accounting for factors including age, sex and other health conditions, the team reported that participants with ADHD had more than four times the risk of developing cognitive impairment over time.
The researchers also calculated genetic risk scores based on common genetic variants associated with ADHD. Participants in the highest genetic-risk group had a 35% greater chance of dementia than those in the lowest group, whether or not they had received a formal ADHD diagnosis. This genetic association and the health-record finding are separate lines of evidence, but both remain associations rather than proof of cause and effect.
Among participants who developed cognitive impairment, those with both ADHD and cognitive impairment reported worse mental health, lower quality of life and less social satisfaction than those with cognitive impairment alone. They also used about 20% more health care overall in the year after diagnosis. The study, “Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Late-Life Cognitive Impairment,” is identified in the source as the largest study to date combining clinical diagnoses and genetic data in the same population.
ADHD May Add to Cognitive Care Needs
The findings matter because they suggest that ADHD could be relevant to cognitive aging and later-life care, not only to symptoms earlier in life. If the association is confirmed and its drivers are identified, clinicians and researchers may have reason to study how ADHD-related health or social factors intersect with dementia risk and support needs.
The reported differences in quality of life and health-care use also point to a potential burden for people living with both conditions. However, this study does not establish that ADHD itself raises dementia risk, and it does not show that screening, ADHD treatment or any particular intervention prevents cognitive impairment. The results should not be read as a prediction of an individual person’s future health.
adult ADHD cognitive support supplements
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Earlier Findings and Study Design
The report builds on earlier work from senior author Tharick A. Pascoal’s research group. A 2022 study linked genetic risk for ADHD with Alzheimer’s-related brain changes in older adults who had no cognitive impairment. The current research extends that line of investigation by examining both recorded diagnoses and genetic risk in a much larger U.S. cohort.
Senior author Pascoal, an associate professor of psychiatry and neurology at the University of Pittsburgh, said the two approaches point in the same direction. Douglas Teixiera Leffa, a co-author who recently completed his psychiatry residency at UPMC, said the findings replicate a pattern observed in other countries while adding genetic evidence. These statements describe the researchers’ interpretation; they do not establish a biological mechanism.
The team considered whether early dementia symptoms might sometimes be mistaken for ADHD before a cognitive diagnosis is made. The report says the association remained statistically significant when researchers required at least eight years between an ADHD diagnosis and cognitive impairment, making that explanation less likely to account for the entire association.
“Two different kinds of evidence are pointing in the same direction.”
— Tharick A. Pascoal, senior author and University of Pittsburgh associate professor
Cause and Prevention Remain Unknown
The study cannot determine whether ADHD directly contributes to dementia risk, whether shared health or genetic factors help explain the association, or whether other influences account for some of the observed difference. Although the researchers tested a longer gap between ADHD diagnosis and cognitive impairment, that analysis does not rule out every possibility of diagnostic overlap or other sources of bias.
It is also unclear whether ADHD medications, including stimulants, affect dementia risk over time. The researchers raised cardiovascular health as another area to examine because it is linked to both ADHD and dementia. The report provides no evidence that medication or cardiovascular management prevents dementia, and it does not establish how the findings apply to people outside this study population.
Researchers to Probe Possible Drivers
The next step is further research into what may account for the association, including whether health conditions or other potentially modifiable factors contribute. The researchers also identified ADHD medication use and cardiovascular health as questions for future study.
No specific follow-up study, clinical recommendation or prevention strategy is detailed in the source report. Until more evidence is available, the findings are best understood as a signal for research on cognitive aging, not as proof that ADHD leads to dementia or that a particular action can reduce the risk.
Key Questions
Does ADHD cause dementia?
No causal link was established. The study found an association between ADHD and later-life cognitive impairment, but it cannot show that ADHD causes dementia.
How large was the difference reported?
6.7% of participants with ADHD developed dementia or cognitive impairment, compared with 3.4% of those without ADHD. After accounting for several factors, researchers reported more than four times the risk over time among participants with ADHD.
Did genetic risk for ADHD also matter?
Yes. Participants with the highest genetic risk score for ADHD had a 35% greater chance of dementia than those with the lowest score. This was an association and does not mean a person’s genetic score predicts an individual outcome.
Do ADHD medications prevent dementia?
The study did not answer that question. The researchers said whether medications such as stimulants affect dementia risk over time remains unknown.
What should readers take from the findings?
The results identify a relationship researchers want to investigate further. They do not establish a personal diagnosis or prevention plan, and they should not be interpreted as evidence that ADHD inevitably leads to dementia.
Source: rss
Halloween Picks
halloween
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
