The brains of people with ADHD function differently, with unusual amounts of certain chemicals and neurotransmitters. Four main areas of potential ADHD brain activity are the frontal lobe, cerebral cortex, limbic system, and reticular activating system, all of which work together to produce the various aspects of ADHD. Symptoms include trouble concentrating, poor impulse control, and emotional outbursts.
The brains of children and adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) appear to function slightly differently from other people, and these differences in the ADHD brain typically produce the symptoms of the disorder. Research continues on this topic and so new discoveries are made frequently about how the brain works and how ADHD is produced by the brain. In general, however, individuals with ADHD have been observed to typically have unusual amounts of certain chemicals and neurotransmitters in the brain. The ADHD brain also seems to function differently in a few key areas, all of which work together to produce the various aspects of ADHD.
People with ADHD typically have trouble concentrating, demonstrate poor impulse control, and can be easily distracted from a task by other ideas or tasks. For years, research has focused on the role of dopamine and related brain chemistry as a contributor to ADHD brain processes. Ritalin, one of the primary medications often used to treat ADHD, typically alters the way dopamine is made and used within the brain. More recent research, however, has shown that different areas of the brain appear to work together to produce the common symptoms of ADHD.
Four main areas of potential ADHD brain activity are the frontal lobe, cerebral cortex, limbic system, and reticular activating system within the brain. The frontal lobe, for example, is where much of the research on neurotransmitters and neurological chemicals has been conducted. This is where chemicals like dopamine and glutamate are made and used by the brain. In the ADHD brain, it appears that these chemicals are either over- or under-produced to function properly. These changes in brain chemistry could produce effects such as an inability to concentrate or inhibit actions properly.
The cerebral cortex is also heavily involved in the inhibitory activities of the brain. In the ADHD brain, the cortex doesn’t seem to inhibit other areas of the brain properly, leading those with ADHD to often have inappropriate outbursts or speak without first considering what is about to be said. This can lead to disruptive behavior in a classroom or business meeting and other negative consequences.
These outbursts can also be influenced by the brain’s limbic system, which controls emotions. The ADHD brain does not appear to be adequately controlled by the limbic system, so individuals with ADHD may have wild mood swings or are unable to control emotional outbursts. Because these different parts of the brain work together, the various symptoms of ADHD manifest not due to any single system, but through a combined effort of multiple parts of the brain.
The reticular activating system in the ADHD brain also appears to be different from a “normal” brain. This part of the brain appears to control some of the frontal lobe’s attention and concentration, as well as a person’s motor activity. Unusual functions in this area may be responsible for part of a person with ADHD’s inability to focus on a given task and for a tendency for ADHD sufferers to be hyperactive or find it difficult to sit still.
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