Multimodal Brain Imaging of the Neural Effects of Methylphenidate in Patients With ADHD
Key facts
- Who runs it
- Johns Hopkins University
- Where
- Baltimore, United StatesSee the site
- Trial code
- Status
- Recruiting
- Phase
- Phase 4
- People taking part
- 30 people, planned
- Started
- 27 Jul 2021
- Expected to end
- 30 Apr 2029
- Type of study
- Interventional, 2 groupsOne group gets a placebo (a dummy treatment), for comparison.
- Treatments tested
- Methylphenidate
- Placebo
- Record updated
- 27 October 2026
Who can take part
- Age
- 6 years to 40 years
- Sex
- Women and men
- Healthy volunteers
- Cannot take part
The registry criteria, word for word
Show all 9 criteriaShow less
Who can take part
- right handed
Who cannot take part
- having an adverse reaction to methylphenidate, or other stimulant medication
- past or current neurological disorder
- non-ADHD cause of cognitive impairment
- uncontrolled medical disorder
- head trauma with loss of consciousness in the last year or any evidence of functional impairment due to and persisting after head trauma
- pregnant or breast feeding
- having a contraindication to MRI
- current smoking
Check if you might fit
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 6 and 40 years old?
Where in United States
- Johns Hopkins School of MedicineBaltimore, United StatesContact: Kristin L Bigos, PhDTaking people
About the trial
What the trial wants to find out
The investigators' goal is to develop neuroimaging biomarkers to predict response to treatment with methylphenidate, which then can be used in the development of novel pharmacological treatments for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The overall objective of this study is to measure the changes in task-related neural activity related to symptoms of ADHD (measured by functional MRI) and brain glutamate levels (measured by magnetic resonance spectroscopy, MRS) after treatment with methylphenidate (MPH). This will be a double-blind crossover of methylphenidate and placebo in adults with ADHD. Participants will complete neuropsychological testing along with fMRI and MRS scans after a single dose of each treatment.
The 2 groups in the trial
- Methylphenidate firstTreatment being tested
Single oral dose of methylphenidate (10mg or 15 mg) and then matching placebo after washout period of one week.
Treatment: Methylphenidate and Placebo
- Placebo firstPlacebo, for comparison
Matching placebo and then single oral dose of methylphenidate (10mg or 15 mg) after washout period of one week.
Treatment: Methylphenidate and Placebo
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorData and sources
- Registry record
- Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
- Fit questions
- Built from NCT04781972, who can take part
- Record updated
- 27 October 2026