TL;DR: A 2026 Molecular Psychiatry study found that common genetic influences on sustained attention were partly separable from genetic influences on executive function, using task-based cognition data from the AFFECT study and 23andMe participants. Key Findings More than 20,000 participants contributed task-based cognition data: Final GWAS sample sizes ranged from 10,129 people for lapse recovery …
TL;DR: A 2026 study in Nature Communications found that neuropsychiatric disorder risk did not map onto cognition as one general trait. Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, ADHD, autism, and Alzheimer’s disease showed different genetic links with reaction time, fluid reasoning, crystallized knowledge, and noncognitive educational skills. Key Findings 439,000-person GWAS scale: The crystallized-knowledge genome-wide association study had …
TL;DR: A 2026 medRxiv preprint linked greater attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptom scores in college students to reduced stop-signal functional MRI (fMRI) activation in cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R)-rich brain regions, and that reduced activation predicted heavier cannabis-use trajectories over 4 years. Key Findings ADHD-cannabis trajectory: Researchers analyzed cannabis-use trajectories in 466 first-year college students aged 18-19, …
TL;DR: A 2026 nationwide study in Journal of Korean Medical Science found that among South Korean children and adolescents with intellectual disability, diagnosed ADHD increased from 30.23% in 2012 to 41.77% in 2021, while diagnosed depression increased from 10.46% to 19.37%. Key Findings Population: Researchers analyzed South Korean national health-insurance records for children and adolescents …
TL;DR: A 2026 preprint in medRxiv found that a parent-cocreated sensory-reactivity outcome set captured anxiety, mood, sleep, fatigue, cognition, and peer-relationship changes during bumetanide treatment in children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders, but the unmasked design means the results should not be treated as definitive drug efficacy evidence. Key Findings Treatment cohort: 113 children and …
TL;DR: A 2026 cross-sectional study in Scientific Reports found that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptom screening was linked to extremely severe chronic pain in 958 adults at Japanese pain centers, while autism spectrum disorder (ASD) screening was not clearly tied to pain intensity. Key Findings Referral pain sample: Researchers analyzed 958 adults with persistent chronic pain …
TL;DR: A 2026 eNeuro study of 163 people ages 3-25 found that sleep history and age shaped waking electroencephalography (EEG) oscillations, while children with ADHD showed distinct sleep-wake EEG patterns. Key Findings Sleep and development interact to shape wake EEG oscillations: The amount of recent sleep or wakefulness produces age-dependent effects on EEG oscillation amplitude …
TL;DR: A 2026 study in The Journal of Neuroscience found that adults with ADHD showed more sleep-like brain waves, known as slow waves, while awake, and those brief local sleep states helped explain lapses in attention and vigilance. Key Findings 32 ADHD adults tested: The study compared 32 medication-free adults with ADHD with 31 neurotypical …
TL;DR: A 2026 cohort study in BJPsych Open found that childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) difficulties predicted poorer young-adult outcomes, but rare copy number variants (CNVs), which are deleted or duplicated DNA segments, did not clearly sharpen that prognosis. Key Findings 8,414 young people had CNV data: Researchers analyzed genetic and …
TL;DR: A 2026 study in Nature Mental Health describes an AI system that scans routine electronic health records (EHRs) and combines early-life visits, prescriptions, and comorbidities into a risk flag for ADHD evaluation before formal diagnosis. Key Findings AI flagged ADHD risk from routine EHR data alone: The model identified patterns predictive of future ADHD …
