How early ADHD stimulant use may change sleep and brain activity
Official title: Impact of preadolescent psychostimulants on neurophysiology and sleep/wake disturbances
Funded at California State Univ San Bernardino · NIH-11176224 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether giving stimulants for ADHD before adolescence changes sleep patterns and brain signals now and later in life.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | California State Univ San Bernardino NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Bernardino, United States) |
| Project start | August 23, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $183,750 |
| NIH project number | 5R16GM154678-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11176224 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People most relevant to this research are children with ADHD who start stimulant medication before adolescence and adults who had childhood stimulant exposure and sleep concerns.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without ADHD, those who never took stimulants, or people whose sleep issues have clear non-ADHD causes are less likely to benefit directly from these results.
What this research studies
From a patient perspective, researchers will use a well-known rat model of ADHD to mimic taking methylphenidate (a common stimulant) before adolescence and will record sleep stages and brain activity over time. They will collect sleep EEG and waking event-related brain responses to compare rats given the drug with control rats. The team will track whether any sleep or brain-wave changes that appear during development persist into adulthood. Findings are intended to help translate animal results into better understanding of sleep problems linked with early stimulant exposure.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could clarify whether early stimulant treatment contributes to lasting sleep problems and help doctors weigh long-term sleep risks when treating children with ADHD.
How similar studies have gone: Previous human observational studies and animal work have suggested links between stimulants and sleep, but causal long-term effects from developmental exposure remain unclear, so this builds on limited prior evidence.
Where this research is happening
-
California State Univ San Bernardino
San Bernardino, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Amodeo, Leslie Renee — California State Univ San Bernardino
- Study coordinator: Amodeo, Leslie Renee
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.