Unusual features discovered in the brains of people with ADHD

The causes of adhd remain a mystery, but we now know more about its biological basis.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is one of the best known neurodevelopmental disorders. is one of the most well-known neurodevelopmental disorders to most of the population. Often overdiagnosed, this disorder can involve different types of difficulties that limit the child's normative functioning in areas such as academics or even social interaction.

While it has sometimes been considered that the symptoms present in this disorder correspond to a delay in the maturational development of certain brain areas, recent research has detected the presence of traits in the brains of individuals with ADHDwhich may help to understand the causes of this phenomenon.

ADHD: a neurodevelopmental disorder

Let's start with the basics: what is ADHD? It is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by the presence of symptomatology linked to attention deficit and attention deficit hyperactivity (ADHD). symptoms associated with attention deficit disorder and possible hyperactivity and impulsivity.. These symptoms are persistent and last for a period of time longer than six months. In addition, they do not correspond to the developmental level of the subject or to the experience of traumatic situations that may provoke such symptoms.

At the diagnostic level, the presence of at least six symptoms of inattention such as neglect of details, difficulty in paying attention, difficulty in completing tasks or following instructions or forgetting them, repeated loss of objects, forgetfulness or being easily distracted even when a task is being performed is necessary.

For hyperactivity to be considered, there must also appear a minimum of symptoms such as motor restlessness, inability to sit still, disregard for turns, inability to take turns, and inability to take turns.The child must also show a minimum of symptoms such as motor restlessness, inability to remain still, failure to respect turns of speech or action, interruption of other people's activities or logorrhea. Impulsivity and the presence of difficulties in controlling one's own emotions are also highly frequent. It is important to take into account that this disorder can present with or without hyperactivity (in this case we would be dealing with attention deficit disorder or ADD).

ADHD or ADD is a problem that requires treatment and that, although usually diagnosed in children, is present in both children and adults. Although it is usually diagnosed in children, it is present in both children and adults (about two-thirds of patients will continue to have symptoms into adulthood). (approximately two-thirds of patients will continue to have symptoms into adulthood). Some of the symptoms may disappear as the subject grows older and their brain finishes developing or learns mechanisms to avoid or make up for their difficulties.

Explanatory hypotheses

ADHD is a complex disorder that has received different considerations regarding its causes. Some of them link it to the existence of brain alterations, and in fact a slower brain development pattern has been observed in certain areas of the brain in diagnosed individuals.

Specifically, the evidence that has been emerging in recent years points to a comparatively slower than expected rate of frontal lobe maturation. a comparatively slower frontal lobe maturation rate than would be expected given the child's age. given the age of the child. This corresponds to the presence of alterations in executive functions and difficulties in behavioral inhibition, attention or focus of attention. This also explains why some of the symptoms may diminish with age.

It has also been observed that there is a problem has also been observed that there is a problem in the arousal or cortical activation level in ADHD subjects. in subjects with ADHD, which generates difficulties in regulating the level of activity and the management of environmental demands. In this sense, it has been seen that the brain of patients with ADHD tends to have a lower amount of dopamine and brain serotonin than subjects without this problem.

Characteristic features of the brain of people with ADHD

The exploration and search for elements that explain the disorder continue to be very important aspects that can help to better understand both the problem and how to act to help those who suffer from it.

A meta-analysis of multiple neuroimaging investigations has concluded that indeed there are indeed structural and functional alterations in the brains of ADHD patients that cause or influence the that cause or influence the presence of symptomatology. Specifically, in addition to the presence of a delay in the development and maturation of the frontal lobe, the existence of subcortical alterations (i.e., below the rough cortex that covers the brain) has been observed.

One of the common alterations in these patients is the presence of smaller basal ganglia, linked to learning, the development of motor behavior patterns, and theThe brain, motivation, emotional management and executive functions have also been observed.

Alterations have also been observed in the limbic system, the "emotional brain". These abnormalities are found especially in the amygdala and the hippocampus, elements of great importance in the processing and management of emotion, memory and motivation. These alterations These alterations are especially visible in the amygdala, which is smaller in size and development than in subjects without this problem.

Although these findings should not cause us to neglect the presence of psychosocial factors and their influence on the and their influence on the onset of ADHD, the results of this research help to provide a better picture of the biological aspects related to ADHD and may ultimately contribute to more efficient ways of treating this problem.