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Peeking inside the ADHD brain: can two drugs rewire attention circuits?

NCT ID NCT03333668

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: King's College London Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Aug 11, 2026 · Last updated Aug 13, 2026 · Updated 2 times

Summary

This study uses brain scans to compare how a single dose of two ADHD medications—guanfacine (a non-stimulant) and lisdexamfetamine (a stimulant)—affect brain function in children and teens with ADHD, relative to a placebo. Participants perform tasks of attention, working memory, and inhibition while undergoing fMRI. The goal is to understand the distinct brain mechanisms of each drug, which could help tailor ADHD treatments in the future.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Guanfacine extended release and lisdexamfetamine dimesylate, compared against placebo
What this could lead to
If successful, this could clarify how these two ADHD drugs work in the brain, potentially guiding more personalized treatment choices.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage brain imaging study, not a treatment trial. Results may not reflect long-term effects or apply broadly to all ADHD patients.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

25 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Oct 2018

Finished

Sep 2024

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

8 to 20 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age range: 8-20 years * Medication-naïve or non-medicated for two weeks or on stimulant medication, and willing to take the medication off for 48 hours before scans. * Meeting DSM-5 diagnosis of ADHD * Score above clinical cut-off on the ADHD module of the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS) (Kaufman et al., 1997) * Score above clinical cut-off for ADHD on the short forms of the Conners Parent Rating Scales, CPRS (Conners et al., 2008) * Score above cut-off on the ADHD Rating Scale, ADHD-RS (DuPaul, et al., 1998) * IQ \> 70 as tested on the WASI-II (Wechsler et al., 1999) * Mood and depression symptoms will be allowed as long as they are not the primary diagnosis. Exclusion Criteria: * IQ \< 70 (Wechsler et al., 1999). * Comorbidity with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, learning disability, OCD, severe depression with current suicidal behaviour (as assessed by a clinical interview) * Neurological problems, i.e. a history of severe neurological illness, e.g. brain tumour, epilepsy or a history of symptomatic seizures, polyneuropathy etc. * Substance abuse history * Other illness (cardiovascular, renal, hepatic, metabolic) that would impact the data integrity or safety of the subject (i.e. contraindicated to any of the treatments) as determined by the investigators * Contraindication to MRI. i.e., previous implantation of metallic material, pacemaker, implanted medication pumps, neural stimulators, claustrophobia * Unable to give informed assent or consent in the case of the parent * Contraindications for LISDEX and GXR use (i.e. advanced arteriosclerosis, agitated states, hyperexcitability, hyperthyroidism, moderate or severe hypertension, symptomatic cardiovascular disease)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, inattentive type attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

ADHD

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience; King's College London

    London, SE5 8AF, United Kingdom

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.