Adult ADHD diagnoses are on the rise – why?

+ migraines and hormones; neurotechnology and privacy US Edition - Today's top story: More adults than ever have been seeking ADHD medications – an ADHD expert explains what could be driving the trend [View in browser]( US Edition | 9 August 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( The number of people who have been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder has been rising for decades, but prescriptions for medications spiked during the pandemic, contributing to shortages. Adult women showed the greatest increases in the use of stimulants like Adderall between 2020 and 2021. University of Washington psychiatric researcher Margaret Sibley evaluates how the [pandemic may have affected the upward trend]( and explains some of the challenges of diagnosing adult ADHD. Anyone who considers joining a Hotshot crew – the people sent to the hottest spots in wildfires – knows being very physically fit is an absolute requirement. University of Montana researcher Brent Ruby takes us to a fire camp in remote Montana where he is studying the [incredible physical strains these firefighters face]( to understand their energy needs and to ultimately improve their health and safety. “Hotshot crews like this one are the elite workforce of the forest, and the demand on their bodies can rival that of the cyclists in the Tour de France,” he writes. Who doesn’t love a science story about cats? Evolutionary biologist Jonathan Losos from Washington University in St. Louis writes there’s a clear ancestor to our pet felines – the African wildcat – and that more species of wild felines are about the size of a house cat. He explains how the emergence of agriculture created the conditions to, as the headline says, “[finagle their way into human hearts and homes thousands of years ago](.” Also in this week’s science news: - [Why women suffer from migraines more than men do]( - [Yes, Hollywood writers and actors should worry about AI]( - [An experiment to search for elusive dark matter]( If there’s a subject you’d like our team of science editors to investigate, please reply to this email. Martin LaMonica Director of Editorial Projects and Newsletters During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, social media was awash with promotions for ADHD as an explanation for people’s overwhelmed state of mind. useng/iStock via Getty Images Plus [More adults than ever have been seeking ADHD medications – an ADHD expert explains what could be driving the trend]( Margaret Sibley, University of Washington The COVID-19 pandemic may have played a considerable role in the uptick of adults being treated for ADHD. But more data is needed to determine whether the trends will continue. Ruby Mountain hotshots construct a fire line during the Dixie Fire in 2021. Joe Bradshaw/BLM [Yellow jerseys of the fireline: A day fighting wildfires can require as much endurance as riding the Tour de France]( Brent C. Ruby, University of Montana Twenty-five years of research show what it takes to fuel wildland firefighters through an average day, and the toll the long seasonal work takes on their bodies. Who run the world? Cats! Grace Cary/Moment via Getty Images [Cats first finagled their way into human hearts and homes thousands of years ago – here’s how]( Jonathan Losos, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis Natural selection changed just 13 genes to separate your Felix and Fluffy from their African wildcat ancestor. [Medical exploitation of Black people in America goes far beyond the cells stolen from Henrietta Lacks that produced modern day miracles]( Deion Scott Hawkins, Emerson College Medical exploitation is an often overlooked part of Black history and partly explains the mistrust that members of the Black community have for the medical industry. [Immune cells that fight cancer become exhausted within hours of first encountering tumors – new research]( Mary Philip, Vanderbilt University; Michael Rudloff, Vanderbilt University T cells recognize and kill cancer cells but quickly lose their effectiveness. This fast dysfunction may help explain why immunotherapy doesn’t lead to long-term remission for many patients. [Computer science can help farmers explore alternative crops and sustainable farming methods]( Barath Raghavan, University of Southern California; Michael Kantar, University of Hawaii Conventional agriculture offers farmers few choices about which crops to grow or how to raise them. A new approach uses computing to construct better strategies with lower environmental impacts. [Looking back toward cosmic dawn − astronomers confirm the faintest galaxy ever seen]( Guido Roberts-Borsani, University of California, Los Angeles The universe used to be filled with a hydrogen fog, before early stars and galaxies burned through the haze. Astronomers are studying galaxies that tell them about this period in the early universe. - [New neurotechnology is blurring the lines around mental privacy – but are new human rights the answer?]( Laura Y. Cabrera, Penn State More invasive devices have prompted new debates about privacy and freedom. But it’s important to keep in mind that other technologies already sense and shape our thoughts, a neuroethicist argues. - [Babies almost all try crawling to get from Point A to Point B, but CDC says it’s not a useful developmental milestone]( Mark Geil, Kennesaw State University Revisions to the CDC’s developmental milestone checklists removed crawling as a skill that babies pick up at a typical age. A biomedical engineer describes how more research may clarify its role. - [AI can help forecast air quality, but freak events like 2023’s summer of wildfire smoke require traditional methods too]( Joshua S. Fu, University of Tennessee Air quality forecasting is getting better, thanks in part to AI. That’s good, given the health impact of air pollution. An environmental engineer explains how systems warn of incoming smog or smoke. - [Before he developed the atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer’s early work revolutionized the field of quantum chemistry – and his theory is still used today]( Aaron W. Harrison, Austin College Remember building model molecules with balls and sticks in chemistry class? You have J. Robert Oppenheimer to thank for that, as a quantum chemist explains. - [The heroic effort to save Florida’s coral reef from devastating ocean heat]( - [Prostate cancer treatment is not always the best option – a cancer researcher walks her father through his diagnosis]( - [What are Hollywood actors and writers afraid of? A cinema scholar explains how AI is upending the movie and TV business]( - [Women get far more migraines than men – a neurologist explains why, and what brings relief]( - [Researchers dig deep underground in hopes of finally observing dark matter]( - Like this newsletter? 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