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Driving-related risks and impact of methylphenidate treatment on driving in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

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Summary.

This study assesses driving behaviour and history of driving outcomes through a semi-structured interview in 27 clinically referred German adults with ADHD and 27 age-, gender- and education-matched non-ADHD controls. In nineteen of the ADHD-subjects a test battery of driving-related cognitive measures was performed (ART 2020) and re-assessed after at least six weeks of treatment with methylphenidate (n = 9) or after a six-week medication free period (n = 10).

ADHD-subjects drove significantly more kilometres per year, were more often registered by traffic authorities and fined more frequently, were involved in more accidents and described their driving style as more insecure and hectic than controls. A high-risk driving group was delineated with 3–6 accidents per ADHD-subject. All results were controlled for intercorrelations with driving experience. Methylphenidate treatment resulted in improved information processing, e.g., better visu-motor coordination under high-stress conditions, improved visual orientation and sustained visual attention compared to baseline and our untreated control group.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany

    E. Sobanski, B. Alm & N. Kettler

  2. Institutes of Traffic and Legal Medicine, Ruprechts-Karl-University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

    D. Sabljic, G. Skopp, R. Mattern & P. Strohbeck-Kühner

Authors
  1. E. Sobanski
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  2. D. Sabljic
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  3. B. Alm
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  4. G. Skopp
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  5. N. Kettler
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  6. R. Mattern
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  7. P. Strohbeck-Kühner
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Correspondence to E. Sobanski.

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Correspondence: Esther Sobanski, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, J 5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany

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Sobanski, E., Sabljic, D., Alm, B. et al. Driving-related risks and impact of methylphenidate treatment on driving in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). J Neural Transm 115, 347–356 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-007-0834-1

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