Research suggests biological base for ADHD

I've been meaning for a while now to share a link to a story on recent Melbourne medical research using MRI that indicates that ADHD brains function differently.

The story includes an interview with Prof Alasdair Vance, a child psychiatrist involved in research.

You can see brain scans showing areas of the brain being used (or not used as the case may be) by kids with ADHD and those without.

Two boys who were treated with both medication and intensive counselling are interviewed. I found their story quite moving.

There is a much longer interview with Alasdair on the site as well.

Research suggests biological base for ADHD

Good article

Im personally dianosed with both Adhd and Aspergers syndrome. I have allways wondered if I could do a medical study how my brain would differ from other people's.

At the moment I would like to play around with either TMS(Transcranial magnetic stimulation) to see if my brain can change or I could try this Emotiv systems Headset to see if my crappy concertration skills can improve

Zig

Originally Posted by Zigma

Good article

Im personally dianosed with both Adhd and Aspergers syndrome. I have allways wondered if I could do a medical study how my brain would differ from other people's.

At the moment I would like to play around with either TMS(Transcranial magnetic stimulation) to see if my brain can change or I could try this Emotiv systems Headset to see if my crappy concertration skills can improve

Zig

Did you watch the video, Zigma? The scans show a pretty significant difference between the two brains. That was why I posted it here; I thought it could be a useful image to challenge Scientologists with.

Research shows a gene link to ADHD

Renee Switzer
June 10, 2007


CHILDREN with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have impaired brain function, most likely linked to a genetic condition.


Researchers have uncovered conclusive evidence that key areas of the brain in ADHD sufferers do not develop as quickly during gestation as in children without the disorder.


Alasdair Vance, academic head of child psychiatry at Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital, said the areas were related to ability to encode and hold information and understand time and space.


"So their ability to read other people's body language, to pick up on the nuances of what their peer group is up to, would clearly be affected by the sort of delays in brain development that we've identified," he said.


The research is about to be published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.


Professor Vance believes it will result in better diagnosis and treatment of the condition. "The most exciting part of this research is the opportunity to understand the brain dysfunction so we can better understand how, by changing the child's environment, facilitated by medication, we can maximise their learning."


The study used magnetic resonance imaging of the brains of boys aged eight to 12 who had ADHD and compared the images with those from non-sufferers.
Professor Vance said the study proved ADHD was not just a behavioural issue. "If it was, one would expect that the child's brain would be functioning quite normally and that at some level they are making choices to behave in this way," he said.


"This suggests they are actually activating their brain differently when they are doing the same task as a healthy kid."


He said research suggested ADHD was a genetic condition that expressed most probably in the second trimester of pregnancy, but which could be modified through medication and by adapting the child's environment.

Research shows a gene link to ADHD - National - smh.com.au