WASHINGTON, D.C. — New attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) research shows the condition influences mental and physical health across the lifespan. The findings will be presented at Neuroscience 2026, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world’s largest source of emerging news about brain science and health.
Approximately one in nine children in the U.S. has received a diagnosis of ADHD, making it one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood. An ADHD diagnosis is not only predictive of poorer outcomes in educational achievement and socialization in childhood, but is also associated with increased risk for substance use and abuse in adolescence and worse mental and physical health in adulthood. Researchers are discovering how the disorder affects a range of behaviors, such as breathing, time perception, and substance use, and identifying neural signatures that may give rise to them.
Today’s new findings show that:
- Young adults with ADHD show a unique breathing pattern that differentiates them from people without ADHD and changes with the use of stimulant medication (Timna Soroka, Weizmann Institute of Science)
- Individuals with ADHD experience chronic time pressure, or a persistent sense of running behind (Kelly Carrasco, California State University, Fresno)
- Brain scans of children and adolescents with ADHD show lower brain iron levels compared to controls and identify specific brain regions affected over time (Jonathan Ahern, University of California, San Diego)
- ADHD medication could help reduce problem drinking in young adults with both ADHD and alcohol use disorder (Amanda Elton, University of Florida)
“It is becoming clear that ADHD is a broader systemic condition affecting a host of brain and body variables beyond just motor hyperactivity,” says event moderator Chandan Vaidya, PhD, a cognitive neuroscientist at Georgetown University who studies how regulatory behavior goes awry in disorders such as ADHD. “Together, these new findings tackle timely topics and showcase the diversity of areas where work is needed to better understand ADHD and ultimately improve diagnosis and treatment.”
For complete access to Neuroscience 2026 in person and online, request media credentials. This research was supported by national funding agencies, including the National Institutes of Health and private funding organizations. Find out more about ADHD and the brain on BrainFacts.
Monday, November 16, 2026
10–11 a.m. EST
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Room 202B, and online for registered media
View the full schedule of press events on EurekAlert!
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The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) is an organization of nearly 30,000 basic scientists and clinicians who study the brain and the nervous system.