A meta-analysis combined 36 randomized controlled trials of computerized cognitive training for people with ADHD. Together the trials included 2,234 participants. Most were children aged 5 to 12 (26 trials). Fewer studied adults over 18 (8 trials) or teenagers aged 13 to 18 (2 trials). The researchers looked most closely at 14 trials that measured ADHD symptoms in a probably-blinded way, which helps limit bias.
When outcomes were rated this way, the training did not clearly reduce overall ADHD symptoms (SMD 0.12). It also did not clearly reduce hyperactivity and impulsivity (SMD 0.11). It showed only a small effect on inattention (SMD 0.17). That effect looked larger when inattention was rated in the same setting where the training took place, but this rested on only 5 trials (SMD 0.40).
The training did improve performance on working memory tasks in the shorter term. This held for verbal working memory (SMD 0.38, 15 trials) and visuospatial working memory (SMD 0.49, 9 trials). These gains did not carry over to school outcomes such as arithmetic, reading comprehension, or reading fluency.
The authors note limits. Most trials had some or high risk of bias. Many people dropped out, with more than 20% leaving in 17 of the 42 reports, which may have made effects look bigger. Few studies looked beyond children, and long-term effects rested on very few trials.
Source: Westwood S, Parlatini V, Rubia K, et al.. Computerized cognitive training in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials with blinded and objective outcomes. Molecular Psychiatry (2023). doi:10.1038/s41380-023-02000-7