The influence of methylphenidate on affective picture processing in adult patients with AD(H)D

Abstract

The present work was conducted as part of the University of Würzburg ADHD research project aimed at identifying ADHD endophenotypes. The primary focus was the investigation of emotional processing in adult ADHD patients. Conzelmann and colleagues (Conzelmann et al., 2009) showed that adult ADHD patients of the combined and hyperactive/impulsive types exhibit deficient affective startle modulation. Based on these findings, the present work asked whether this deficient startle response to emotional images from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) could first be replicated and, if so, whether it could be reduced or completely abolished by taking a methylphenidate preparation (MPH).