College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists

There have been great advances in understanding the neurobiology of ADHD.  While there appears to be some overall reduction in brain volumes in children with ADHD, several richly interconnected brain areas seem to be particularly affected- the prefrontal cortex, the basal ganglia and the cerebellum.  In addition recent longitudinal studies suggest that ADHD can be understood in part as due to a delay in cortical maturation.

Children with ADHD who have been treated with psychostimulants and compared to their untreated peers with the disorder, have been found to have larger white matter volumes, and more ‘normative’ dimensions of several key regions implicated in the disorder.  However, the reliance on purely observational studies limits the conclusions we can draw about psychostimulant effects.  It is clear that ADHD is not purely a disorder of childhood as the impairing symptoms of the disorder persist into adulthood in a majority, although persistence of the full syndrome is less common.  Modern neuroimaging techniques are allowing insights into the different patterns of brain development which may accompany different clinical outcomes in the disorder.

1. Analyze clinical cases of children suffering from Attention-deficit/hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and subsequent symptom response to psychostimulants
2. Illustrate the contribution of structural neuroimaging to the neurobiology of ADHD
3. Explain the possible effects of psychostimulant treatment for ADHD on cortical structure.
4. Contrast the variable clinical outcomes of ADHD and identify the neurobiological correlates of differential outcome.

Activity Dates: 04/20/2009 - 04/20/2012
ACPE Contact Hours: 1.0
ACPE Number: 0284-0000-09-004-H01-P
Nursing Credit Reminder: Note that ACPE and ACCME credit is accepted for certification renewal.

This course is provided online at cpnp.org and consists of the speaker audio and slides. A PDF file of the slides is also provided and access is available to participants indefinitely although ACPE credit is available only through the course expiration date.

Participants in this course must complete an examination and achieve a score of 60% or greater. Successful completion of the course also requires the completion of a course evaluation. ACPE statements of credit can be retrieved by participants online at cpnp.org immediately upon successful completion of the course.

If you are a pharmacist, nurse practitioner or other healthcare professional involved in the medication therapy management of psychiatric and/or neurological patients, we invite you to participate in this online course.

This programming was supported in part by grants from Bristol-Myers Squibb, Forest Laboratories, Inc., Lilly, Schering-Plough, Cyberonics, and Shire.