The aim of this project is to develop new tools that both help improve our understanding of the causes of attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD), and predict treatment response among patients assessed at the South London and Maudsley Hospital (SLaM).  

Research participants will be screened for ADHD and undergo assessment with a list of neuropsychological tests, diffusion weighted MRI, resting state functional MRI before and after pharmacological stimulation.  

Behavioural and neuroimaging analyses will then be performed in order to test whether adults with ADHD who do not respond to stimulants have significant differences in both structural and functional ‘connectivity’ (the latter both at rest and in response to methylphenidate ‘challenge’); in contrast those who respond to treatment have abnormalities only at a functional level.