Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

ReCHARGE and ECHO Studies

Description: 
The CHARGE (Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and Environment) Study began in 2003. The study involved enrolling three groups of children aged 2-5 years: those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), those with other developmental delays (DD), and a third group from the general population with typical development (TD). CHARGE has generated a body of new results on prenatal exposures, such as pesticides, air pollution, medications and maternal nutrition, in relation to ASD and DD.

For the Re-CHARGE ECHO program, CHARGE children from all three diagnostic groups will be followed up at either ages 8-12 or, for those now older, ages 13-19, to understand developmental trajectories for each of these three groups. Outcomes of interest will be longitudinal change in diagnoses, cognitive and adaptive function, and symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety or depression.

The ECHO (Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes) Study brings together 36 cohorts of children from over 80 sites across the country, including The ReCHARGE Study at UC Davis. ECHO will study health broadly, including childhood asthma, other respiratory problems, obesity, diabetes, sleep, neuro-developmental conditions such as autism and ADHD, and birth outcomes like prematurity and birth defects.

Funding:
National Institutes of Health

Fidgeting for Regulation Study

Description: 
This NIH-funded project studies how fidgeting (motor movement) relates to cognitive and emotional functioning in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It will assess in a laboratory setting, if intrinsic movement and access to a “fidget device” providing sensory and motor stimulation can improve cognitive and emotional regulation (including on physiological measures) in adults with ADHD. We will also acquire data for machine learning analyses to be used in future, large scale studies to identify gestures and touch characteristics associated with improved cognitive and emotional regulation to see if we can predict and subsequently develop recommendations to improve performance and emotional control in natural settings (e.g., home, office, college classroom) for adults with ADHD.

Funding:
National Institutes of Health

Virtual Reality Attention Management (VRAM)

Description: 
The purpose of this study is to test whether a new intervention can help persons with attention problems or have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with significant inattention, learn to ignore distractors. Our intervention uses a virtual reality environment to repeatedly train resistance to common distractors (e.g., clock ticking or peers talking).

Funding:
National Institutes of Health

Mapping Impulsivity’s Neurodevelopmental Trajectory (MINT)

Description: 
We are studying brain development in adolescents and young adults to discover more about how self-control develops. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with even higher rates of impulsivity and self-control problems. Findings from this study may help us better understand the development of self-control in adolescents and young adults with and without ADHD. Furthermore, our findings may lead to successful targets and recommendations for future self-control interventions, potentially benefiting those with ADHD and the general population.

Funding:
National Institutes of Health