Executive function

Participants received eight weekly sessions supported by coaching and structured exercises. Compared with a waiting-list group, participants reported improvements in ADHD symptoms and organisational skills, with improvements maintained at one-year follow-up. The study was relatively small

Meta-analysis including 883 adults with ADHD and 916 control participants across 27 studies. Adults with ADHD showed slower stop-signal response times with a moderate effect size. The findings support inhibitory-control difficulty as a group-level feature, but the authors note that no single neuropsychological test is established as a diagnostic test for adult ADHD.

Meta-analysis of 38 adult ADHD studies. It found moderate differences in both verbal and visuospatial working memory, while also showing that study and task design affected the size of the observed differences. This supports working-memory difficulty as a common group-level finding, not a universal feature in every individual with ADHD.

Systematic review including 93 studies, 5,574 adults with ADHD and 4,880 healthy controls. It found group-level differences across multiple cognitive domains, particularly attention, processing speed, executive function, working memory and inhibition. Findings describe average group differences and should not be interpreted as a cognitive profile that applies identically to every person with ADHD.

Randomised trial of 88 adults with ADHD comparing a 12-week meta-cognitive therapy programme with supportive psychotherapy. The intervention specifically targeted time management, organisation and planning skills

Meta-analysis of 13 adult ADHD studies. It found medium group-level differences in several executive-function measures, particularly inhibition and set shifting, but also found differences in some non-executive domains. The authors caution against treating executive dysfunction as a complete or specific explanation of adult ADHD.

A multicentre randomised controlled trial of 120 adults with ADHD comparing mindfulness-based cognitive therapy plus treatment as usual with treatment as usual alone. The mindfulness group showed a greater reduction in clinician-rated ADHD symptoms after treatment, and benefits were maintained at six-month follow-up. Improvements were also reported in self-rated symptoms and some wider measures, although executive-function improvements were not apparent immediately after treatment

Meta-analysis of 21 double-blind randomised controlled trials. Methylphenidate was associated with small average improvements across neurocognitive outcomes, including vigilance, response inhibition, reaction-time variability and working memory. The authors also identified evidence of publication bias, which should be considered when interpreting the findings.

Meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials found small improvements in inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity and executive function for meditation-based mind-body interventions compared with control conditions. The authors note that the evidence base still needs strengthening, so these approaches should not be presented as established replacements for standard ADHD treatment.

Systematic review of nine randomised controlled trials. Meta-analysis found CBT was associated with greater reductions in adult ADHD symptoms than both waiting-list and active control conditions, although the evidence base was relatively small and the authors noted limitations in the available studies.

A randomised controlled trial of 60 adults with ADHD comparing two forms of computerised cognitive training. Both groups showed improvements in self-reported symptoms, everyday executive functioning and occupational performance, but the higher-level executive training did not outperform the simpler control training. Neurocognitive test performance and quality of life did not significantly improve, so the study does not provide strong evidence that more intensive cognitive training produces specific additional benefits