A new clinical investigation proved that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs do not cause chromosomal changes in children suffering from the condition, as previously suggested by a 2005 study. The new study was backed by the National Institutes of Health and adds to a growing scientific community that believes these therapies have nothing to do with genetic abnormalities in young patients.
 

The new results were published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, by a team of researchers led by Kristine L. Witt, a scientist working with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. She said that "the enormous public health significance of this issue requires additional investigation," and that the new study was largely prompted by the fact that, since the one in 2005, no other was able to replicate its results.
 

The new research studied the effects of ADHD drugs on 63 children diagnosed with the syndrome, who hadn't previously received any treatment for their conditions. They were split into two groups, one that was treated with methylphenidate, such as Ritalin LA or Concerta, and a second one, where doctors used mixed amphetamine salts, including Adderall and Adderall XR. From the first group, only 25 participants finished the 90-day study, while, from the second group, 22 followed through.
 

Out of the 47 subjects that completed their treatments, none exhibited significant cell changes or genetic mutations that could be directly linked to the effects of the drugs. No chromosomal changes occurred either, which offered the researchers further reason to believe that the former study on the matter was erroneous.
 

Although their test proved the other one was wrong, the team says that even further investigations are required, as this problem is very significant to a large number of children suffering from ADHD in the United States today.