I know scientific papers can be full of jargon and aren’t always accessible to everyone. Here is a plain-language summary of what we study in the SNACK lab.

From 2018-2021, we conducted the MADDY study, an international study of a micronutrient supplement for emotional dysregulation in children with ADHD. Children were randomized to receive the micronutrients or a placebo. We found children who received the micronutrients were 3x more likely to have an improvement in symptoms compared to children who received placebo. After the randomized portion of the study, all the participants were given the opportunity to take the micronutrients (the “open-label” portion of the study), and children experienced continued symptom improvement. Overall, the children in the micronutrient group did not experience any more negative side effects than the children in placebo group.

In participants from the MADDY study, we also found that lower fruit and vegetable intake was associated with more severe symptoms of inattention, but that children who received the micronutrients improved regardless of their diet quality or baseline mineral status. Children who came from households with food insecurity, however, had higher baseline symptoms of emotional dysregulation. Children with higher baseline urinary histamine levels did not have more severe symptoms of ADHD and emotional dysregulation symptoms, or different intake of high-histamine foods, however. We also found changes in the gut microbiome in participants who received the micronutrients.

We conducted a qualitative study asking parents of MADDY participants about their priorities and preferences for their child’s treatment. When parents nominated their child’s biggest struggles, we found that inattention and internalizing symptoms (anxiety, depression, etc.) improved in the children who received the micronutrients, compared to the children who received placebo.

We are currently investigating mechanisms of the micronutrients (how they actually effect change in the body), and we have papers in progress on changes in antioxidants, catecholamine neurotransmitters, kynurenine neurotransmitters, steroid hormones, hair cortisol, and more.

I also thoroughly enjoy evidence synthesis, including systematic reviews and meta-analysis.
I’ve conducted reviews on:
- Interoception in ADHD, finding that interoception is reduced in individuals with ADHD and lower interoceptive abilities are associated with more severe ADHD symptoms
- Micronutrients for pediatric mental health, including ASD, ADHD, and emotional dysregulation
- Non-pharmacological interventions for children with ADHD
- Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio in ADHD finding that NLR, a measure of inflammation, appears to be increased in children with ADHD
- White and pink noise in ADHD, finding that children with ADHD benefit from background white/pink noise when completing tasks of attention
- Phosphatidylserine in ADHD, finding supplementation improved inattention in children with ADHD


I’m interested in sensory processing, chronic pain, and pain sensitivity.
- I conducted a systematic review on the association between chronic pain, interoception, and alexithymia in children with chronic pain, finding decreased interoception and increased alexithymia in this population (under review).
- In the MADDY study, I found that baseline pain sensitivity was associated with more severe emotional dysregulation symptoms.


Lastly, I’m interested in interventions for suicidal thoughts and behavior (suicidality) in children and adolescents. In a systematic review on the clinical use of ketamine for depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and suicidality in youth, we found that ketamine appeared to be effective and safe in this population, with few side effects. We are also in the process of investigating the role of inflammation in suicidality for children in the MADDY study (in progress).

In 2022-2023 we conducted a study of a powdered form of the micronutrients (paper in progress), and we are currently funded on a K23 grant from NCCIH to study the micronutrients in a new population. To see our currently enrolling studies, check our website.

I was interviewed on Dr. Katherine Hofmann’s podcast, Ponder & Practice, where we talked about ADHD.