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Fischer S, Nilsen C. ADHD in older adults - a scoping review. Aging Ment Health 2024:1-8. [PMID: 38622905 DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2024.2339994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This scoping review presents an overview of the available research on symptoms, comorbidities, and associated challenges among older adults with ADHD. METHOD The literature study followed Arksey and O'Malley's five-stage framework. The search was conducted in ProQuest Central, Scopus, PsycInfo, CINAHL, and PubMed. Articles were included if they were peer-reviewed, ethically approved primary studies, written in the English language, concerning ADHD, and including people 60 years of age and older. RESULTS The review included 17 articles. Symptoms of ADHD persist throughout life. Older adults with ADHD experience similar core symptoms as younger individuals, but their manifestation and intensity may differ. The most common comorbidity found was mental illness, for example depression and anxiety. ADHD in older adults is linked to several challenges, such as difficulty with relationships and social isolation. CONCLUSION Older adults with ADHD face various symptoms, comorbidities, and challenges that affect their quality of life. Age-related changes can amplify ADHD symptoms and increase the perceived burden of illness. More research is needed to understand the complex relationship between these factors and enable tailored interventions to improve their quality of life and well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silke Fischer
- Institute of Gerontology, School of Health and Welfare, Jönköping University, Sweden
| | - Charlotta Nilsen
- Institute of Gerontology, School of Health and Welfare, Jönköping University, Sweden
- Stress Research Institute, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Sweden
- Aging Research Center, Karolinska Institutet/Stockholm University, Sweden
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Mohammadian Rasnani F, Zavieh A, Heidari A, Motamed M. From neurodevelopmental to neurodegenerative disorders: Investigating symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in patients with dementia. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY. ADULT 2023:1-10. [PMID: 37410670 DOI: 10.1080/23279095.2023.2230507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
Dementia is characterized by a progressive cognitive decline that could be caused by several disorders. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are two prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders that might overlap with dementia symptoms. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the ASD and ADHD symptoms in dementia patients referred to a memory clinic in Iran. We recruited 65 dementia patients and instructed them to fill out the autism quotient (AQ) and the Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scales (CAARS) questionnaires. Considering the cutoff points of AQ and CAARS questionnaires, 18.5% of participants were at higher risk of ASD, and 35.4% were at higher risk of ADHD. The results indicated that ADHD and ASD symptoms might be common comorbidities in patients with dementia which can increase the disease burden. Specialized ADHD and ASD screening tools in the elderly population with dementia are needed to prevent misdiagnoses due to symptom overlaps.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amir Zavieh
- Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Arash Heidari
- Research Center for Immunodeficiencies, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Students' Scientific Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahtab Motamed
- Department of Psychiatry, Roozbeh Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Grünblatt E, Homolak J, Babic Perhoc A, Davor V, Knezovic A, Osmanovic Barilar J, Riederer P, Walitza S, Tackenberg C, Salkovic-Petrisic M. From attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder to sporadic Alzheimer's disease-Wnt/mTOR pathways hypothesis. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1104985. [PMID: 36875654 PMCID: PMC9978448 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1104985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder with the majority of patients classified as sporadic AD (sAD), in which etiopathogenesis remains unresolved. Though sAD is argued to be a polygenic disorder, apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4, was found three decades ago to pose the strongest genetic risk for sAD. Currently, the only clinically approved disease-modifying drugs for AD are aducanumab (Aduhelm) and lecanemab (Leqembi). All other AD treatment options are purely symptomatic with modest benefits. Similarly, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), is one of the most common neurodevelopmental mental disorders in children and adolescents, acknowledged to persist in adulthood in over 60% of the patients. Moreover, for ADHD whose etiopathogenesis is not completely understood, a large proportion of patients respond well to treatment (first-line psychostimulants, e.g., methylphenidate/MPH), however, no disease-modifying therapy exists. Interestingly, cognitive impairments, executive, and memory deficits seem to be common in ADHD, but also in early stages of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia, including sAD. Therefore, one of many hypotheses is that ADHD and sAD might have similar origins or that they intercalate with one another, as shown recently that ADHD may be considered a risk factor for sAD. Intriguingly, several overlaps have been shown between the two disorders, e.g., inflammatory activation, oxidative stress, glucose and insulin pathways, wingless-INT/mammalian target of rapamycin (Wnt/mTOR) signaling, and altered lipid metabolism. Indeed, Wnt/mTOR activities were found to be modified by MPH in several ADHD studies. Wnt/mTOR was also found to play a role in sAD and in animal models of the disorder. Moreover, MPH treatment in the MCI phase was shown to be successful for apathy including some improvement in cognition, according to a recent meta-analysis. In several AD animal models, ADHD-like behavioral phenotypes have been observed indicating a possible interconnection between ADHD and AD. In this concept paper, we will discuss the various evidence in human and animal models supporting the hypothesis in which ADHD might increase the risk for sAD, with common involvement of the Wnt/mTOR-pathway leading to lifespan alteration at the neuronal levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edna Grünblatt
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich (PUK), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Zurich Center for Integrative Human Physiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jan Homolak
- Department of Pharmacology and Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Ana Babic Perhoc
- Department of Pharmacology and Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Virag Davor
- Department of Pharmacology and Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Ana Knezovic
- Department of Pharmacology and Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Jelena Osmanovic Barilar
- Department of Pharmacology and Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Peter Riederer
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Center of Mental Health, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.,Department and Research Unit of Psychiatry, Institute of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Susanne Walitza
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich (PUK), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Zurich Center for Integrative Human Physiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Christian Tackenberg
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Institute for Regenerative Medicine (IREM), University of Zurich, Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Melita Salkovic-Petrisic
- Department of Pharmacology and Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
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