VHIR participates in a large new research programme on ADHD

Doctors Marta Ribasés and Josep Antoni Ramos Quiroga, from the Psychiatry, Mental Health and Addictions group at the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Research (VHIR), participate in the international research project ‘Comorbid Conditions in ADHD’ (CoCA), which was successfully kicked-off in Frankfurt a few weeks ago. The CoCA programme is a new EU-funded project on biological mechanisms shared by attention-deficit/hyperactivity (ADHD) and several of its most frequent psychiatric and somatic comorbidities, i.e. anxiety/depression, substance use disorders, and obesity.

VHIR researchers will lead a work group focused on the identification of genetic variations and environmental factors involved in the ADHD and the comorbidities commonly associated to this disease. They will also participate in a controlled and randomized clinical trial of phase II using light therapies and physical exercise combined with m-Health interventions, with the aim to prevent depression and obesity in adolescents with ADHD.

According to doctors Quiroga and Ribasés, the results of the project will allow them to identify pathways and biological mechanisms involved in these diseases. The project will also contribute to the prevention, health promotion and the development of new therapeutic strategies for these patients.

In fierce competition, the CoCA project was selected for funding from over 300 submitted proposals, together with only six others. CoCA will receive 6 Mio Euro for research from the European Commission during the next 5 years. This funding will provide the 17 partners from 8 European countries and the US with the opportunity to investigate the role of dopamine neurotransmission and the circadian rhythm machinery (as well as additional relevant biological processes to be identified as part of CoCA) in the co-occurrence of the different disorders. In addition, they will perform randomized clinical trials for two non-pharmacological, inexpensive, and easy accessible interventions, i.e. physical exercise and bright light therapy, to study their potential to prevent ADHD comorbidity.

In stimulating and fruitful discussions, the 45 meeting delegates finalized plans for a total of 11 comprehensive and highly complementary work packages during the Kick-off meeting. Amongst the project partners are also a representative of the European patient support group ADHD-Europe, which will actively contribute to research and dissemination of CoCA and US-based and German leading experts, who form the Scientific and Ethics Advisory Board of CoCA.

More than 21 million people suffer from ADHD in the EU, with direct medical cost and loss due to decreased productivity adding up to over €70 billion per year. ADHD, being a childhood-onset disorder, forms the entry route into a (preventable) negative developmental trajectory later in life; importantly, more than 80% of adult ADHD patients suffer from a comorbid disorder. However, exact numbers of ADHD patients suffering from the comorbidities under study is not yet available. CoCA will provide such information, based on large epidemiological data sets, and – for the first time – will calculate the costs associated with such comorbidity. Through the research approaches taken in CoCA, the project hopes to raise awareness for ADHD, reduce the stigma associated with this disorder, and empower prevention and therapy approaches.