Thus, ADHD is associated more often with at least one comorbid disorder than without any.
The brains of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show abnormalities in certain areas involved with “visual attention,” new research finds.
Researchers performed functional MRIs (fMRIs) on 19 children aged 9 to 15 diagnosed with ADHD and 19 without the disorder while the children took a test in which they were shown a set of numbers and then asked to remember whether a subsequent group of numbers matched the original.
A consensus of opinion exists among the scientific community that ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is a biological condition resulting from varying, yet scientifically undefined, neurological dysfunctions. Traditionally, the majority of research results suggest that a region of the brain known as the pre-frontal cortex, situated behind the forehead, controls many of the behaviors and traits associated with ADHD, given that the anterior part of the brain is associated with executive functions: problem solving, attention, reasoning, planning, and decision making – cognitive functions noticeably impaired in those with ADHD. However, gradually, with the aid of neuroimaging techniques, neurologists and neuroscientists have been able to map additional neural mechanisms responsible for ADHD symptoms more accurately.
Investigators discovered an average nightly sleep loss of about 55 minutes for six nights was associated with deteriorating performance including inattention, omission and depressed reaction time in children with attention deficit disorder.
“Moderate sleep restriction leads to a detectable negative impact on the neurobehavioral functioning of children with ADHD and healthy controls, leading to a clinical level of impairment in children with ADHD,” said lead author and principal investigator Reut Gruber, Ph.D.
“A new Argentina study suggests that adults who suffer from attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are three times more likely to develop a common form of degenerative dementia than those without.”
“In the first large-scale comprehensive analysis exploring the link between children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and future drug abuse, researchers reveal that those diagnosed with ADHD are two to three times more likely to experience serious substance abuse problems throughout their teen and adult years than those without the disorder.”
“According to the study, those people who reported using benzedrine or dexedrine were nearly 60 percent more likely to develop Parkinson’s than those people who didn’t take the drugs.”
This is pretty scary considering that I have been taking Adderall for years…
