October is Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Awareness Month, a reminder of the continued need to improve and expand evidence-based care for patients living with ADHD. Clinical trials play a key role in this effort by evaluating the safety, effectiveness, and real-world impact of new treatment approaches. Referring patients to clinical trials can offer access to promising treatment options that may not otherwise be available to those patients. Additionally, encouraging patients to participate in trials can provide a sense of contribution that can be beneficial to their overall mental health.
The following list of clinical trials highlights some of the most recently initiated clinical trials focusing on ADHD. The trials are a mix of currently recruiting and soon-to-be recruiting trials based in the United States.
Comparing the Featured ADHD Clinical Trials
| Study Title | Phase | Estimated Enrollment | Recruiting? | Study Start | Estimated Primary Completion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| External Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation for Children With ASD + ADHD to Reduce Elevated Symptoms (eTNS CARES) | N/A | 60 | Yes | 10/6/2025 | September 2027 |
| Effects of Transcranial Photobiomodulation in ADHD | N/A | 140 | Not Yet | November 2025 (estimated) | November 2027 |
| L-theanine and Paraxanthine for Cognitive Improvement in Adults With ADHD and ASD | N/A | 24 | Not Yet | October 2025 (estimated) | June 2026 |
| A Clinical Trial of Iron Supplementation for Youth with ADHD and Restless Sleep | 1, 2 | 70 | Not Yet | October 2025 (estimated) | July 2027 |
| P3b Short-Term Study of CTN in Patients with ADHD and Cormorbid Anxiety | 3 | 308 | Yes | March 26, 2025 | June 2026 |
Featured ADHD Clinical Trials Rundown
External Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation for Children With ASD + ADHD to Reduce Elevated Symptoms (eTNS CARES)
- Sponsor: University of California, San Francisco
- Goal: The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if external trigeminal nerve stimulation (eTNS) works to treat ADHD symptoms in children on the autism spectrum. It will also learn about the efficacy and tolerability of the eTNS device.
- Interventions: Trigeminal nerve stimulation, sham trigeminal nerve stimulation
- Primary Outcome Measure: Change in ADHD Symptoms
- Timeframe: Baseline to end of treatment at six weeks
- Study Details
- Source
Effects of Transcranial Photobiomodulation in ADHD
- Sponsor: University of Texas at Austin
- Goal: This will be a double-blind, sham-controlled study to evaluate the neurobehavioral and PFC neurometabolic effects of repeated tPBM sessions in adults with ADHD.
- Interventions: Active transcranial photobiomodulation, sham transcranial photobiomodulation
- Primary Outcome Measure / Timeframe: Performance on the Continuous Performance Task / 1. Pre-Treatment: Baseline (Visit 1). 2. Post-treatment: Two weeks later (Visit 3); Prefrontal oxygenation (functional near-infrared spectroscopy) / 1. Pre-Treatment: Baseline (Visit 1). 2. Post-treatment: Two weeks later (Visit 3); Scores on the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) questionnaire / 1. Pre-Treatment: Baseline (Visit 1). 2. Post-treatment: Two weeks later (Visit 3). 3. Follow-up: Four weeks later (Online).
- Study Details
- Source
L-theanine and Paraxanthine for Cognitive Improvement in Adults With ADHD and ASD
- Sponsor: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
- Goal: This pilot study will test whether combining L-theanine and paraxanthine improves sustained attention, inhibitory control, and overall cognition in adults with ADHD and ASD.
- Interventions: L-theanine and paraxanthine, placebo
- Primary Outcome Measures / Time Frame: fMRI task-related activity / At visit 2 or 3, 30 minutes after intake of L-theanine-paraxanthine or placebo; Stop Signal Reaction Time / At visit 2 or 3, 30 minutes after intake of L-theanine-paraxanthine or placebo. This task is performed while in the MRI; d-prime (sensitivity to the Go signal) / At visit 2 or 3, 30 minutes after intake of L-theanine-paraxanthine or placebo. This task is performed while in the MRI.
- Study Details
- Source
A Clinical Trial of Iron Supplementation for Youth With ADHD and Restless Sleep
- Sponsor: Hugo W. Moser Research Institute at Kennedy Krieger, Inc.
- Goal: The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if iron supplementation works to restless sleep in youth with ADHD. A second goal is to learn if iron supplementation helps to ease ADHD symptoms.
- Interventions: Ferrous sulfate, placebo
- Primary Outcome Measure: Sleep efficiency
- Timeframe: Sleep efficiency will be assessed nightly for two weeks before treatment begins and then again for two weeks at the end of treatment.
- Study Details
- Source
P3b Short-term Study of CTN in Patients With ADHD and Comorbid Anxiety
- Sponsor: Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc.
- Goal: To evaluate the efficacy of CTN in adults ages with ADHD and comorbid anxiety.
- Interventions: Centanafadine, placebo
- Primary Outcome Measure: Change in adult investigator symptom rating scale.
- Timeframe: Baseline to week eight.
- Study Details
- Source
Related Guidelines:
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Australasian ADHD Professionals Association (AADPA)
- Published: May 2023
- Assessment and Treatment of Children and Adolescents with Complex Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
- Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (SDBP)
- Published: March 2020
- Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adolescents
- American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
- Published: October 2019
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