European ADHD Guideline Group (EAGG)

The European ADHD Guidelines Group is a part of EUNETHYDIS set up to serve “the provision of evidence based clinical recommendations”. It therefore seeks to apply reliable scientific knowledge to help decision-makers, service users and practitioners in making well-informed judgements about how to improve the management of people affected by ADHD.

This over-riding goal involves making reviews, recommendations and guidelines, and identifying gaps in the science base. It does so, in the general spirit of EUNETHYDIS, by acting as a co-operative group of scientific and clinical disciplines, where knowledge is disseminated in an atmosphere of trust, loyalty, and mutual respect. It will maintain high ethical standards in its activities.

Former member

  • MD. Prof. Alessandro Zuddas (Italy)

    University of Cagliari, Dept Biomedical Sciences, Sect. Neuroscience & Clinical Pharmacology, Cagliari, Italy
    Child & Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, "A.Cao" Pediatric Hosptal, Cagliari

    https://www.unica.it/unica/page/en/alessandro_zuddas

    Work and interests

    Alessandro Zuddas, MD, is currently Professor of Child Neuropsychiatry at the School of Medicine, University of Cagliari and Director of the Child & Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit a the “A.Cao” Paediatric Hospital, Cagliari, Italy.
    His work integrates Developmental Psychopathology and Child & Adolescent Psychopharmacology approaching the study of the biological mechanism of neuro-developmental and mental health conditions in order to develop and validate innovative therapeutical strategies.
    Main areas of interest are ADHD and other developmental disorders as well as Affective and conduct disorders.
    He also coordinate the European Child & Adolescent Psychopharmacolgy Network (ECAPN) at EnprEMA.

    Declaration of potential conflict of interests

    Prof. Zuddas reported personal fees for being on advisory boards from Angelini, Servier, and Shire/Takeda; research grants from Acadia, Angelini, Janssen, Lundbeck, Otsuka, and Servier; and royalties from Giunti OS, Hogrefe Editore, and Oxford University Press.

Our dear friend and colleague Prof Alessandro Zuddas was a very well respected member of EAGG. Very sadly, he passed away in July 2022.

EAGG Members

Examples of Past Activities

The EAGG has undertaken a series of authoritative and influential reviews of non-pharmacological treatments for ADHD:

Covering a wide range of behavioural, psychological dietary treatments:

  • Sonuga-Barke et al., 2013

Covering treatment domain-specific follow-up analyses:

  • Stevenson et al., 2013
  • Daley et al. 2014
  • Cortese et al., 2015
  • Cortese et al 2016

The EAGG approach is distinctive in its methodological rigour and its attempts to deal systematically with the issue of outcome blinding by comparing “most proximal” (least blinded outcomes) with best “probably blinded” outcomes. Taking the best evidence the EAGG reviews found limited support for behavioural parent training, cognitive training or neuro-feedback as a treatment for core ADHD symptoms. Behavioural parent training was effective as a treatment for associated conduct problems while cognitive training and neuro-feedback appeared to improve some underlying cognitive functions. Dietary exclusions (additive colourings and flavourings) and supplements (free fatty acids) were associated with small but statistically significant benefits. Since these publications, new evidence has become available and updates of these meta-analyses are currently being planned.

Publications