I know scientific papers can be full of jargon and are not always accessible to everyone. Here is a plain-language summary of what we study in the SNACK lab.
From 2018 to 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 that children who received the micronutrients were three times more likely to have an improvement in symptoms compared to children who received placebo. After the randomized portion of the study, all participants were given the opportunity to take the micronutrients during the open-label portion of the study, and children experienced continued symptom improvement. Overall, the children in the micronutrient group did not experience more negative side effects than the children in the 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 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 ADHD or emotional dysregulation symptoms, nor did they differ in intake of high-histamine foods. We also found changes in the gut microbiome in participants who received the micronutrients.
We also 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 such as anxiety and depression improved in children who received the micronutrients compared to children who received placebo.
We are currently investigating mechanisms of the micronutrients, meaning how they may actually effect change in the body. We found a change in antioxidant levels in children who took the micronutrients, as well as alterations in the gut microbiome and cytokines and other immune factors, while neuroprotective and neurotoxic kynurenine metabolites were unchanged. We also have papers in progress on changes in catecholamine neurotransmitters, steroid hormones, hair cortisol, and more.
I also thoroughly enjoy evidence synthesis, including systematic reviews and meta-analysis. I am a methodologist at the Comprehensive Research Evidence Synthesis Training (CREST) center, where I mentor and lecture on research methods.
Some of the reviews I have conducted include:
I am also interested in sensory processing, chronic pain, and pain sensitivity.
Lastly, I am interested in interventions for suicidal thoughts and behavior 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 investigating the role of inflammation in suicidality among children in the MADDY study (in progress).
In 2022 to 2023, we conducted a study of a powdered form of the micronutrients (paper under review), 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, please visit our website.
I was also interviewed on Dr. Katherine Hofmann’s podcast, Ponder & Practice, where we talked about ADHD.