Commentary: Using QbTest for monitoring pharmacological treatment response in ADHD - are we there yet?

Alessio Bellato; Valeria Parlatini; Madeleine J Groom; Charlotte L Hall; Chris Hollis; Emily Simonoff; Anita Thapar; Samuele Cortese

doi:10.1111/jcpp.14071

Commentary: Using QbTest for monitoring pharmacological treatment response in ADHD - are we there yet?

J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2024 Nov 8. doi: 10.1111/jcpp.14071. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Alessio Bellato^#^{1

2

3

4

5}, Valeria Parlatini^#^{1

2

6}, Madeleine J Groom^{7

8

9}, Charlotte L Hall^{7

8

9}, Chris Hollis^{7

8

9}, Emily Simonoff¹⁰, Anita Thapar¹¹, Samuele Cortese^{2

6

12

13

14}

Affiliations

¹ School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
² Centre for Innovation in Mental Health, School of Psychology, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
³ Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
⁴ School of Psychology, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih, Malaysia.
⁵ Mind & Neurodevelopment (MiND) Research Cluster, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih, Malaysia.
⁶ Solent NHS Trust, Southampton, UK.
⁷ NIHR MindTech HealthTech Research Centre, Institute of Mental Health, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
⁸ NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Institute of Mental Health, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
⁹ Mental Health and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
¹⁰ Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK.
¹¹ Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Wolfson Centre for Young People's Mental Health, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, UK.
¹² Clinical and Experimental Sciences (CNS and Psychiatry), Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
¹³ Hassenfeld Children's Hospital at NYU Langone, New York University Child Study Center, New York, NY, USA.
¹⁴ DiMePRe-J-Department of Precision and Rigenerative Medicine-Jonic Area, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 39513414
DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.14071

Abstract

Individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) exhibit varied responses to pharmacological treatments (e.g. stimulants and non-stimulants). Accurately and promptly detecting treatment-related improvements, response failure, or deterioration poses significant challenges, as current monitoring primarily relies on subjective ratings. In this commentary, we critically evaluate the evidence supporting the use of QbTest for objectively monitoring ADHD treatment response in clinical practice. We also offer recommendations for future research, advocating for rigorous clinical trials and longitudinal studies to further explore the potential utilisation of QbTest and other tools for monitoring treatment responses in individuals with ADHD.

Keywords: ADHD; activity level; biomarkers; continuous performance test; outcome; pharmacotherapy.