The warnings come as scans of children who take such drugs as methylphenidate (MPH), commonly known as Ritalin, show that they have a major effect on the development of white matter in the brains of children, impairing their ability to learn and coordinate communication between regions of the brain.
These drastic effects are completely absent when adults take methylphenidate, showing no such structural changes to the brain, according to a new study published in the scientific journal Radiology.
In the study, scientists from the University of Amsterdam analyzed MTH’s impact on children’s white matter development by gathering 50 boys and 49 adult males who were all diagnosed with ADHD. None of the participants had previously taken the drug before the study, making the study the first of its kind to look at how the drug alters brain development.
Study senior author Dr. Liesbeth Reneman explained in a release: “Previous studies all have tried to statistically control for the effects of ADHD medications … But we are the first to study medication-naïve patients in this context, which, of course, is crucial if you want to know how ADHD medications affect the developing brain." .... Read more>>>...