Medicine's Max Wiznitzer explains how ADHD drugs actually work

ADHD drugs work, but not the way experts thought

The Washington Post (subscription required): Max Wiznitzer, professor of pediatric neurology at the School of Medicine, said ADHD can shorten life expectancy because impulsivity leads to poor health choices, missed medications, and higher risks of obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. A new study found stimulants such as Adderall and Ritalin help by activating reward and wakefulness centers—not attention circuits—especially in children with ADHD or sleep deprivation.