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SFU Nanodevice Fabrication Group researchers are working on a novel biosensor that may be used to check for Alzheimer’s disease and other disorders. A summary of their findings was just published in the journal Nature Communications.

Their sensor detects a certain sort of tiny protein, in this case a cytokine known as Tumour Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF alpha), which is implicated in cellular inflammation. Abnormal cytokine levels have been related to a wide range of disorders, including Alzheimer’s, cancer, heart disease, autoimmune disease, and cardiovascular disease. TNF alpha can function as a biomarker, which is a quantifiable trait that indicates a person’s health state.

COVID-19 can also cause inflammatory reactions known as ‘cytokine storms,’ and studies have shown that cytokine inhibitors are an effective treatment for improving chances of survival.

“Our goal is to develop a sensor that’s less invasive, less expensive and simpler to use than existing methods,” says Engineering Science Assistant Professor Michael Adachi, the project’s co-lead.

“These sensors are also small and have potential to be placed in doctor’s offices to help diagnose different diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease.”

Adachi says that there are a number of established methods for detecting biomarker proteins such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and mass spectrometry, but they have several drawbacks. These existing methods are expensive, samples need to be sent away to a lab for testing and it can take a day or more to receive the results.

He notes that their biosensor is extremely sensitive and can detect TNF alpha in very low concentrations (10 fM) — well below the concentrations normally found in healthy blood samples (200-300 fM).

Current screening tests for Alzheimer’s disease include a questionnaire to determine if the person has symptoms, brain imaging, or a spinal tap process which involves testing for the biomarker proteins in the cerebral spinal fluid of the potential patient.

The team has completed the proof-of-concept stage, proving that the two-electrode diode sensor is effective in detecting TNF alpha in a laboratory setting. They plan to test the biosensor in clinical trials to ensure it would be able to effectively detect biomarker proteins within a blood sample containing many different interfering proteins and other substances.

“We will continue testing the device’s ability to detect the same proteins using body fluid like blood samples,” says engineering science PhD student Hamidreza Ghanbari. “The other objective is to use the same device but a different receptor to detect proteins that are more specific to Alzheimer’s disease.”

The researchers have also filed a provisional patent application with the Technology Licensing Office (TLO) at SFU. The project takes an interdisciplinary approach combining leadership from Adachi in Engineering Science and professors Karen Kavanagh in the Dept. of Physics and Miriam Rosin in Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology (BPK).

“We need to be sure each sensor is made exactly the same to the tolerance required for the concentration we’re trying to predict or detect, and that’s the real challenge,” says Kavanagh.

Kavanagh says their sensor depends on properties of a type of semiconductor that is being studied for its two-dimensional (2D) properties, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2). This compound has different properties compared to common semiconductors, silicon or gallium arsenide (GaAs), which are much more widely used and well-understood.

Thushani De Silva is an Engineering Science Master’s graduate who worked on the project and emphasizes that the device is based on electrical measurement.

“Basically, we have a semiconductor on the sensing area and when the targeted protein interacts with the sensor, it changes the electrical signal output,” she explains. “By measuring this change, we can measure the concentration of the protein present in the body fluids.”

The team used a form of nanomaterial known as two-dimensional materials, which may be atomically thin and are employed as the sensing layer. Aptamers, which are DNA sequences, are put on top of these 2D materials.

When a biomarker protein is placed onto the sensor’s surface, the electrical characteristics alter somewhat. They can detect the concentration of these biomarker proteins in a simple solution by looking at the electrical output of the sensor layer.

A recent study found that group therapy reduces psychological discomfort, improves quality of life, and leads in fewer readmissions for cardiac issues.

The findings were published in the European Heart Publication, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology, today (ESC).

“Approximately 20 per cent of all cardiac patients have signs of psychological distress, rising to one-third of employed patients,” said study author Annette Holdgaard, a nurse at Copenhagen University Hospital – Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, Denmark, adding, “Psychological symptoms like palpitations and chest discomfort can be difficult to distinguish from cardiac symptoms. This can lead to a vicious circle, with further distress that might limit a patient’s ability to live a normal life at home and work.”

Previous programmes for dealing with psychological concerns in heart patients were long and taught to individuals by a therapist or psychologist, making them difficult to use in real life. This study looked at the impact of five group sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) led by nurses as an adjunct to standard cardiac rehabilitation on anxiety and depression symptoms.

The study comprised 147 working-age cardiac patients who were experiencing psychological distress, defined as a Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) score of 8 or higher for anxiety and/or depression. The average age was 54 years old, and 67% were men. Participants were randomly assigned to either group CBT plus conventional cardiac rehabilitation (CBT group) or cardiac rehabilitation alone for five sessions (control group).

Those in significant distress or with a mental diagnosis were not eligible.

Cardiac rehabilitation was provided over the course of eight weeks, including two 90-minute group sessions per week. Exercise, medication adjustments, and instruction on food, smoking, physical activity, body weight, blood sugar, blood pressure, blood lipids, and psychological disorders were all part of the sessions.

Following brief training, cardiac nurses led CBT sessions under the supervision of a psychologist. Five two-hour sessions were held for groups of three to four patients. Patients confirmed their values, such as family and job, in session 1, and described issues induced by heart disease, such as poor sleep and weariness.

Session 2 included a review of the anxiety circle, where a threat can cause physical reactions and catastrophising thoughts, followed by a discussion of coping strategies, such as gradual exposure to anxiety-filled situations and breathing exercises to calm the nervous system.

Session three dealt with the analysis and consequences of current behaviour. For example, working 50 hours a week may bring short-term satisfaction but leave insufficient time to recover from a heart condition, which could have serious implications in the longer term. Session 4 focused on strategies for dealing with concerns.

While worrying can lead to problem-solving, it can also lead to overthinking and patients learned more constructive behaviour. Finally, in session 5, patients saw how their coping strategies had changed throughout the course, learned how to make optimal use of their strengths, and received an individual maintenance plan for dealing with future distress.

The primary outcome of change in total HADS score from baseline to 3 months improved significantly more in the CBT group (8.0 points) than in the control group (4.1 points). Both subscales (anxiety and depression) also improved significantly more in the intervention group. The CBT group’s improvements in the total score and subscales were maintained at 6 months.

Compared with the control group, the CBT group had greater improvement in quality of life at 6 months and a 57 per cent lower risk of cardiac readmissions at 12 months. Previous research has shown that anxious or depressed patients are less likely to attend cardiac rehabilitation exercises and education sessions, and this study showed that those receiving CBT were more likely to take part than those in the control group.

Ms Holdgaard said, “The findings indicate that all patients attending cardiac rehabilitation should be screened for psychological distress and offered CBT if needed. Those in the therapy group said it was a relief being with others dealing with the same problems. They learned to evaluate and challenge their own thoughts – for example, there may be other reasons for my heart beating faster than that I am dying – and nurses helped them distinguish between cardiac and psychological symptoms. Patients also realised that they can choose how much attention to give a thought, and instead of entering the thought (fusion with it), they can maintain distance (defusion) and let thoughts pass.”

ESC spokesperson, Professor Christi Deaton, of the University of Cambridge, UK said, “This study is important for multiple reasons. It demonstrates the value of interventions for psychological distress, and that brief group-based CBT can be delivered by nurses within existing cardiac rehabilitation programmes with positive and significant effects on outcomes.”

“The study also illustrates the importance of individualising rehabilitation programmes to meet the needs of different patient groups. The results of this study and others show that group CBT is a promising intervention in patients with cardiovascular conditions and psychological distress,” she said.

Choline is an important component found in foods such as eggs, broccoli, beans, pork, and chicken, and is synthesised in small amounts in the liver. A new research investigates how a lack of dietary choline harms the body and might be a missing piece in the jigsaw of Alzheimer’s disease.

It is estimated that more than 90% of Americans do not reach the recommended daily choline consumption. Current study in mice reveals that a lack of dietary choline can have serious consequences for the heart, liver, and other organs. A lack of choline has also been related to severe brain alterations associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Pathologies involved in the formation of two typical markers of the illness, amyloid plaques, which gather in the intercellular spaces between neurons, and tau tangles, which condense inside the bodies of neurons, are among them.
The current study, conducted by Arizona State University scientists, identifies diseases in normal mice lacking in dietary choline as well as choline deficient transgenic mice, which already display indications of the illness. In both cases, dietary choline deprivation causes liver damage, heart enlargement, and neurologic abnormalities in Alzheimer’s disease mice, including elevated levels of plaque-forming amyloid-beta protein and illness-linked modifications in tau protein.

Further, the study illustrates that choline deficiency in mice causes significant weight gain, and alterations in glucose metabolism, (which are tied to conditions such as diabetes), and deficits in motor skills.

In the case of humans, “it’s a twofold problem,” according to Ramon Velazquez, senior author of the study and Assistant professor with the ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center. “First, people don’t reach the adequate daily intake of choline established by the Institute of Medicine in 1998. And secondly, there is vast literature showing that the recommended daily intake amounts are not optimal for brain-related functions.”

Ramon Velazquez led the new study on the importance of dietary choline for the brain and other organs. He is a researcher in the ASU-Banner Neurodegereative Disease Research Center.

The research highlights a constellation of physical and neurological changes linked to choline deficiency. Sufficient choline in the diet reduces levels of the amino acid homocysteine, which has been recognized as a neurotoxin contributing to neurodegeneration and is important for mediating functions such as learning and memory, through the production of acetylcholine.

The growing awareness of choline’s importance should encourage all adults to ensure proper choline intake. This is particularly true for those on plant-based diets, which may be low in naturally occurring choline, given that foods high in choline are eggs, meats, and poultry.

Choline-rich plant meals such as soybeans, Brussels sprouts, and toast can aid in these circumstances. Furthermore, low-cost, over-the-counter choline supplements are recommended to maintain overall health and protect the brain from the consequences of neurodegeneration.

Doctors at Queen Mary University of London, Barts Hospital, and Cambridge University Hospital led research that used a novel form of CT scan to identify microscopic nodules in a hormone gland and remove them to correct high blood pressure. One in every twenty patients with high blood pressure has nodules.

The study, published today in Nature Medicine, tackles a 60-year-old challenge of detecting hormone-producing nodules without a rigorous catheter study that is only offered in a few institutions and frequently fails. The study also discovered that when paired with a urine test, the scan reveals a subset of patients who discontinue all blood pressure medications following therapy.

128 participants took part in a new scan research after physicians discovered that their hypertension (high blood pressure) was caused by a steroid hormone called aldosterone. The scan discovered that two-thirds of individuals with increased aldosterone secretion have a benign lesion in only one of the adrenal glands, which may be safely removed. The scan employs a low-dose of metomidate, a radioactive tracer that adheres solely to the aldosterone-producing nodule. The scan was just as accurate as the traditional catheter test, but it was faster, less painful, and technically effective in every patient.

The catheter test could not determine which individuals will be entirely cured of hypertension by surgical excision of the gland until today.

By contrast, the combination of a ‘hot nodule’ on the scan and urine steroid test detected 18 of the 24 patients who achieved a normal blood pressure off all their drugs.

The research, conducted on patients at Barts Hospital, Cambridge University Hospital, and Guy’s and St Thomas’s, and Universities of Glasgow and Birmingham, was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and Medical Research Council (MRC) partnership, Barts Charity, and the British Heart Foundation.

Professor Morris Brown, co-senior author of the study and Professor of Endocrine Hypertension at Queen Mary University of London, said: “These aldosterone-producing nodules are very small and easily overlooked on a regular CT scan. When they glow for a few minutes after our injection, they are revealed as the obvious cause of Hypertension, which can often then be cured. Until now, 99% are never diagnosed because of the difficulty and unavailability of tests. Hopefully this is about to change.”

Professor William Drake, co-senior author of the study and Professor of Clinical Endocrinology at Queen Mary University of London, said:”This study was the result of years of hard work and collaboration between centres across the UK. Much of the ‘on the ground’ energy and drive came from the talented research fellows who, in addition to doing this innovative work, gave selflessly of their time and energy during the national pandemic emergency. The future of research in this area is in very safe hands.”

The aetiology of Hypertension (high blood pressure) is unclear in the majority of cases, and the illness need long-term pharmacological therapy. Previous study by the Queen Mary University group found that a gene mutation in the adrenal glands causes an excess of the steroid hormone aldosterone to be generated in 5-10% of persons with hypertension. Aldosterone increases salt retention in the body, raising blood pressure. Patients with high aldosterone levels in their blood are resistant to treatment with routinely used hypertension medicines, and they are at a higher risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Adolescents and young adults are stereotypically connected with eating problems. However, growing data shows that these problems can arise at any stage during a woman’s life, including midlife.

According to a new study, body dissatisfaction is a significant cause of eating disorders, particularly during perimenopause. The findings of the study were published today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS). Eating disorders are significant mental health diseases marked by changes in eating behaviour and body image that affect roughly 13.1% of women during their lives.

The prevalence of any eating disorder specifically for women aged older than 40 years is roughly 3.5 per cent, with specific symptoms such as dissatisfaction with eating patterns being documented as high as 29.3 per cent.
Serious complications such as high mortality and morbidity are associated with eating disorders. These adverse health events are likely to be magnified when present at older ages. However, few studies on eating disorders have included participants at midlife, including premenopause, perimenopause, and postmenopause.

There is some evidence to suggest that perimenopausal women have the highest rates of dysregulated eating behaviours (eg, weight-control behaviours such as regular calorie counting or diet food consumption) of any reproductive stage at midlife and are significantly different from premenopausal women in terms of body dissatisfaction and feelings of fatness. Although such studies are few, the link between eating disorders and perimenopausal symptoms (e.g., negative mood, melancholy, and exhaustion) confirms that perimenopause may be a particularly vulnerable phase for eating pathology.

The researchers used network analysis statistical models to compare the structure and importance of specific eating disorder symptoms across reproductive stages in this new small study, which sought to investigate the structure of eating disorder symptoms specifically during perimenopause and early postmenopause. Although the researchers concede that bigger studies with this underrepresented female demographic are needed, they feel that the data demonstrates that body image dissatisfaction is a critical risk factor for eating disorders across the lifetime, particularly in midlife.

Study results are published in the article “Network analysis of eating disorder symptoms in women in perimenopause and early postmenopause.”

This study shows that similar to studies in young adults, dissatisfaction with body image remains a core feature of eating disorder pathology in midlife women. Specifically, fear of gaining weight and fear of losing control over eating habits are central symptoms of eating disorders in perimenopause and early postmenopause. These findings may help direct more targeted treatment strategies in women during midlife,” says Dr. Stephanie Faubion, NAMS medical director.

A recent study found that group therapy reduces psychological discomfort, improves quality of life, and leads in fewer readmissions for cardiac issues.

The findings were published in the European Heart Publication, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology, today (ESC).

“Approximately 20 per cent of all cardiac patients have signs of psychological distress, rising to one-third of employed patients,” said study author Annette Holdgaard, a nurse at Copenhagen University Hospital – Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, Denmark, adding, “Psychological symptoms like palpitations and chest discomfort can be difficult to distinguish from cardiac symptoms. This can lead to a vicious circle, with further distress that might limit a patient’s ability to live a normal life at home and work.”

Previous programmes for dealing with psychological concerns in heart patients were long and taught to individuals by a therapist or psychologist, making them difficult to use in real life. This study looked at the impact of five group sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) led by nurses as an adjunct to standard cardiac rehabilitation on anxiety and depression symptoms.

The study comprised 147 working-age cardiac patients who were experiencing psychological distress, defined as a Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) score of 8 or higher for anxiety and/or depression. The average age was 54 years old, and 67% were men. Participants were randomly assigned to either group CBT plus conventional cardiac rehabilitation (CBT group) or cardiac rehabilitation alone for five sessions (control group).

Those in significant distress or with a mental diagnosis were not eligible.

Cardiac rehabilitation was provided over the course of eight weeks, including two 90-minute group sessions per week. Exercise, medication adjustments, and instruction on food, smoking, physical activity, body weight, blood sugar, blood pressure, blood lipids, and psychological disorders were all part of the sessions.

Following brief training, cardiac nurses led CBT sessions under the supervision of a psychologist. Five two-hour sessions were held for groups of three to four patients. Patients confirmed their values, such as family and job, in session 1, and described issues induced by heart disease, such as poor sleep and weariness.

Session 2 included a review of the anxiety circle, where a threat can cause physical reactions and catastrophising thoughts, followed by a discussion of coping strategies, such as gradual exposure to anxiety-filled situations and breathing exercises to calm the nervous system.

Session three dealt with the analysis and consequences of current behaviour. For example, working 50 hours a week may bring short-term satisfaction but leave insufficient time to recover from a heart condition, which could have serious implications in the longer term. Session 4 focused on strategies for dealing with concerns.

While worrying can lead to problem-solving, it can also lead to overthinking and patients learned more constructive behaviour. Finally, in session 5, patients saw how their coping strategies had changed throughout the course, learned how to make optimal use of their strengths, and received an individual maintenance plan for dealing with future distress.

The primary outcome of change in total HADS score from baseline to 3 months improved significantly more in the CBT group (8.0 points) than in the control group (4.1 points). Both subscales (anxiety and depression) also improved significantly more in the intervention group. The CBT group’s improvements in the total score and subscales were maintained at 6 months.

Compared with the control group, the CBT group had greater improvement in quality of life at 6 months and a 57 per cent lower risk of cardiac readmissions at 12 months. Previous research has shown that anxious or depressed patients are less likely to attend cardiac rehabilitation exercises and education sessions, and this study showed that those receiving CBT were more likely to take part than those in the control group.

Ms Holdgaard said, “The findings indicate that all patients attending cardiac rehabilitation should be screened for psychological distress and offered CBT if needed. Those in the therapy group said it was a relief being with others dealing with the same problems. They learned to evaluate and challenge their own thoughts – for example, there may be other reasons for my heart beating faster than that I am dying – and nurses helped them distinguish between cardiac and psychological symptoms. Patients also realised that they can choose how much attention to give a thought, and instead of entering the thought (fusion with it), they can maintain distance (defusion) and let thoughts pass.”

ESC spokesperson, Professor Christi Deaton, of the University of Cambridge, UK said, “This study is important for multiple reasons. It demonstrates the value of interventions for psychological distress, and that brief group-based CBT can be delivered by nurses within existing cardiac rehabilitation programmes with positive and significant effects on outcomes.”

“The study also illustrates the importance of individualising rehabilitation programmes to meet the needs of different patient groups. The results of this study and others show that group CBT is a promising intervention in patients with cardiovascular conditions and psychological distress,” she said.

According to a new study published in the journal BMJ Global Health, pregnant women infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 have a 7-fold greater risk of dying and a significantly increased risk of being hospitalised to an intensive care unit or developing pneumonia. The study also found that taking COVID-19 during pregnancy increases the likelihood that the newborn may need to be hospitalised to critical care.

“This study provides the most comprehensive evidence to date suggesting that COVID-19 is a threat during pregnancy,” Emily R. Smith, an assistant professor of global health at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health and lead author of the study, said. “Our findings underscore the importance of COVID-19 vaccination for all women of childbearing age.” Despite growing knowledge about the risks of COVID-19 during pregnancy, many women of childbearing age in the United States and other countries remain unvaccinated. In some cases, women hesitate or refuse to get the vaccine or booster shot because they don’t think COVID-19 poses risks to young women or they feel unsure about the safety of the vaccine during pregnancy. Even some doctors may hesitate to give the vaccine to a pregnant woman, Smith says, even though it is recommended.

Smith and her colleagues pooled individual patient data from 12 studies conducted in 12 countries, including the United States, involving more than 13,000 pregnant women.

The researchers found that compared to uninfected pregnant women, pregnant women with COVID-19 infection were at:

– Seven times higher risk of dying during pregnancy or childbirth.

– More than three times greater risk of being admitted to the intensive care unit. People with COVID-19 who need ICU care are also more likely to die.

– About 15 times higher risk of needing ventilator treatment. COVID-19 can affect the ability to breathe and in severe cases patients need mechanical ventilation in order to survive.

– About 23 times higher risk of developing pneumonia, a potentially life threatening complication of COVID-19.

– More than 5 times higher risk of thromboembolic disease, or blood clots, that can cause pain, swelling, or other life-threatening complications.

Neonates born to women who were infected with COVID-19 were almost twice as likely to be admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit after birth. They were also at higher risk of being born prematurely. Preterm babies are at high risk of having lifelong health problems including delays in early childhood cognitive development, Smith said.

Despite the very serious health risks, more than 80 countries still do not recommend that all pregnant and lactating women get the COVID vaccine, Smith points out. While it was hard to put together the evidence in the past, this meta analysis provides public health officials and the public with clear, consistent and compelling findings, she adds.

“This study shows the risk of getting COVID-19 for both mother and baby,” Smith said. “All countries, including the United States, should make access to COVID vaccines an urgent priority in order to save lives and prevent health problems.”

Scientists have described the physical process that occurs in the mouth when a piece of chocolate is ingested, transforming it from a solid to a smooth emulsion that many people find utterly seductive. The multidisciplinary research team at the University of Leeds hopes that by analyzing each stage, they will be able to design a new generation of premium chocolates that have the same feel and taste but are healthier to ingest. The chocolate feeling emerges during the times it is in the mouth due to the way the chocolate is lubricated, either by chemicals in the chocolate itself or by saliva or a mix of the two.

The study, which was published in the scientific journal ACS Applied Materials and Interface, did not look at how chocolate tasted. The inquiry instead concentrated on its feel and texture. The tests were carried out on an artificial 3D tongue-like surface built by the University of Leeds, using a quality brand of dark chocolate. The investigation was carried out using analytical approaches from the engineering discipline of tribology, which included in situ imaging.

Tribology is the study of how surfaces and fluids interact, the degrees of friction between them, and the impact of lubrication: in this example, saliva or chocolate liquids. When we eat chocolate, all of these systems are activated.

When chocolate comes into touch with the tongue, it produces a fatty film that coats the tongue and other surfaces in the mouth. This fatty layer is what makes the chocolate feel smooth in the tongue.

Dr Siavash Soltanahmadi, from the School of Food Science and Nutrition at Leeds and the lead researcher in the study, said: “With the understanding of the physical mechanisms that happen as people eat chocolate, we believe that a next generation of chocolate can be developed that offers the feel and sensation of high-fat chocolate yet is a healthier choice.

“Our research opens the possibility that manufacturers can intelligently design dark chocolate to reduce the overall fat content. “We believe dark chocolate can be produced in a gradient-layered architecture with fat covering the surface of chocolates and particles to offer the sought after self-indulging experience without adding too much fat inside the body of the chocolate.”

According to MINTEL study, revenue from chocolate sales in the UK is expected to rise over the next five years. Sales are predicted to increase 13% between 2022 and 2027, reaching £6.6 billion. The researchers believe the physical approaches employed in the study might be used to the exploration of other foods that undergo a phase shift, in which a material is converted from a solid to a liquid, such as ice cream, margarine, or cheese.

The European Research Council funded this study as part of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation initiative

Individuals with high levels of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms are more likely to feel anxiety and sadness than adults with high levels of autistic features, according to new research done by psychologists at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom. This is the first study to indicate that ADHD predicts poor mental health outcomes in adulthood more than other neurodevelopmental diseases such as autism. There has previously been a scarcity of knowledge on the impacts of ADHD on poor mental health, with significantly more study concentrating on the impact of autism on despair, anxiety, and quality of life.

As a result, persons with ADHD frequently struggle to obtain the therapeutic care they require to manage their symptoms. The authors of the study hope that their results will spark fresh research into ADHD and, as a result, improve the mental health outcomes for people with the illness. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder marked by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. The illness is believed to affect between 3% and 9% of the population.

Blue Monday
On Blue Monday (January 16), the third Monday of the month, which some consider to be the bleakest day of the year, lead researcher Luca Hargitai stated: “Autism has long been related to anxiety and despair, but ADHD has received less attention. “Researchers have also struggled to statistically separate the importance of ADHD and autism for mental health outcomes because of how frequently they occur together,” he said.

Ms Hargitai, a PhD Researcher at Bath, added, “Our aim was to precisely measure how strongly ADHD personality traits were linked to poor mental health while statistically accounting for autistic traits.”

The new study, conducted in collaboration with the Universities of Bath, Bristol, and Cardiff, as well as King’s College London, was published this week in the prominent journal Scientific Reports. It comes in the same month that two British TV stars, Johnny Vegas and Sue Perkins, revealed their recent ADHD diagnosis.

“The condition affects many people – both children and adults – and the fact that more people are willing to talk about it is to be welcomed,” said Ms Hargitai, adding, “The hope is that with greater awareness will come more research in this area and better resources to support individuals in better managing their mental health.”

Overly active, as though driven by a motor
A large, nationally representative sample of people from the UK population was employed in the study. All participants filled out gold standard questionnaires, one on autistic features and the other on ADHD traits, responding to lines like “I usually get intensely engaged in one thing” and “How often do you feel too active and prompted to perform motor-driven activities like you?”

The researchers discovered that ADHD qualities were highly predictive of the intensity of anxiety and depression symptoms: the more ADHD traits a person had, the more likely he or she is to have severe mental health symptoms. The study authors found that having an ADHD personality was more closely associated to anxiety and depression than autistic features using unique analytical methodologies.

These findings were repeated with a 100%’reproducibility rate’ in computer simulations. This demonstrated with high certainty that ADHD features are virtually likely associated with more severe anxiety and depression symptoms in adults than autism traits.

Shifting the focus of research and clinical practice
Ms Hargitai said, “Our findings suggest that research and clinical practice must shift some of the focus from autism to ADHD. This may help to identify those most at risk of anxiety and depression so that preventative measures – such as supporting children and adults with the management of their ADHD symptoms – can be put in place earlier to have a greater impact on improving people’s wellbeing.”

According to Dr Punit Shah, senior author and associate professor of Psychology at Bath, another important aspect of the new study is that it advances the scientific understanding of neurodevelopmental conditions.

“By addressing the shortcomings of previous research, our work provides fresh information about the complex links between neurodiversity and mental health in adults – an area that is often overlooked,” he said.
“Further research is now needed to delve deeper into understanding exactly why ADHD is linked to poor mental health, particularly in terms of the mental processes that might drive people with ADHD traits to engage in anxious and depressive thinking,” he said.

“At the moment, funding for ADHD research – particularly psychological research – is lacking. This is especially pronounced when you compare it to the relatively high level of funds directed at autism,” he elaborated.
“As the evidence becomes clear that ADHD isn’t just a childhood condition but persists throughout life, we must adjust our research agendas to better understand ADHD in adulthood,” he added.

Dr Tony Floyd, CEO of the ADHD Foundation and The Neurodiversity Foundation, commented on the new findings, saying, “This study provides compelling evidence of the increased risk of mental health comorbidities associated with adult ADHD. This is an important step toward acknowledging the larger consequences of mismanaged and untreated ADHD. We hope that our research will result in additional research being funded in this area. We also hope that it will lead to improvements in the design and delivery of health care services.

“The cost implications to the NHS of leaving ADHD untreated, and the need to better train health practitioners in both primary and secondary care, are now more apparent. And of course, there are other costs too that need to be considered – to the health of UK citizens with ADHD and to their family life, employability and economic well-being. These costs are often hidden but they are considerable,” he said.

“This research from Bath University will add to the growing national debate and the business case for a national review of health services for ADHD across a person’s lifespan,” he added.