Drug May Curb 'Sluggish' Thinking

Lisdexamfetamine reduces symptoms of sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a study published online June 29 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

In a randomized crossover trial, Lenard A. Adler, M.D., from NYU Langone Health in New York City, and colleagues assigned 38 adults with ADHD and SCT to either lisdexamfetamine or a placebo for four weeks.

The researchers found that lisdexamfetamine reduced symptoms of SCT by 30 percent. The drug also lowered ADHD symptoms by more than 40 percent. The drug improved both ADHD and SCT symptoms among the patients, compared to those who received the placebo. Furthermore, the investigators found that only about a quarter of overall improvements in SCT were due to improvements in ADHD symptoms.

"Adults with ADHD and comorbid SCT had significant improvement after lisdexamfetamine versus placebo in ratings of SCT, ADHD, executive function deficits, and functional impairment," the authors write. "This is the first study to show improvement in SCT after stimulant therapy in adults with ADHD."