PsyCom Pro: ADHD treatments may also help executive function deficits

New research from Massachusetts General Hospital found that currently available treatments for ADHD in adults also have positive effects on executive function.

While not included in the official criteria for ADHD, executive function deficits including difficulty maintaining attention and concentration; holding information in working memory; and planning, organizing and executing tasks.

The University of Cincinnati's Jeffrey Strawn, MD, treats patients with ADHD and told PsyCom Pro that executive function deficits sometimes underlie many of the difficulties patients experience.

“These include forgetting important items, disorganization, and difficulty shifting from one topic to another in conversation, and may even relate to impulsivity and risk-taking in some,” said Strawn, professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience in UC’s College of Medicine and a UC Health child and adolescent psychiatrist.

Read the PsyCom Pro story.

Featured photo at top courtesy of Unsplash.

Related Stories

1

CCM welcomes Sekyung Jang as Assistant Professor of Music Therapy

June 12, 2026

UC College-Conservatory of Music Dean Pete Jutras has announced the appointment of Sekyung Jang, PhD, as CCM's new Assistant Professor of Music Therapy. Her faculty appointment officially begins on Aug. 15, 2026, and Jang will work with college leadership to develop a new program in Music Therapy at CCM in partnership with UC's College of Medicine and the Osher Center for Integrative Health. Jang is an educator, scholar and music therapist passionate about fostering a culture of learning in which students feel safe to explore new ideas, make mistakes, and freely and respectfully receive and give feedback. Jang’s teaching is characterized by a balanced combination of lectures, experiential learning opportunities, and discussion-based instruction that helps students integrate theory and practice.

2

Taking a second look at surgery eligibility for patients with lung cancer who smoke

June 11, 2026

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine have found that patients who continue to smoke ahead of lung cancer surgery have a higher risk of pulmonary complications, but their short-term mortality rate is similar to patients who were able to stop smoking before surgery.. Their findings were published recently in the Journal of. American College of Surgeons

3

Pocket-sized population threat

June 10, 2026

The Financial Times took a deep dive into why populations around the world continue to be on the decline. The publication cited new University of Cincinnati research as part of the investigation that looks at the fall of fertility in the digital era.