Dr. Benjamin Kaye
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
Scientists analyzed brain scans from thousands of adolescents, including hundreds who were taking drugs like Ritalin and Adderall for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Dr. Benjamin Kaye of Washington University in St.
Louis says he expected the drugs to act on brain areas involved in attention.
Instead, the drugs acted on areas that modulate alertness and motivation.
The researchers say this appears to improve a child's performance by making them less sleepy and more interested in doing mundane tasks like homework.
Scientists analyzed brain scans from thousands of adolescents, including hundreds who were taking drugs like Ritalin and Adderall for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Dr. Benjamin Kaye of Washington University in St.
Louis says he expected the drugs to act on brain areas involved in attention.
What I actually found was that those were the parts of the brain that were least affected.
Instead, the drugs acted on areas that modulate alertness and motivation.
The researchers say this appears to improve a child's performance by making them less sleepy and more interested in doing mundane tasks like homework.