The largest brain imaging study on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has led scientists to say the condition should be considered a neurological disorder, not just a behavioral one. The brain structures of children with ADHD differ in small but significant ways from those of normally developing children, according to the findings, which were published online in the journal Lancet Psychiatry on Feb. 15. Up to 11 percent of U.S. children and around 5 percent of U.S. adults have been diagnosed with ADHD, which causes symptoms like difficulty paying attention, impulsiveness, irritability, and forgetfulness.
Ground-breaking study suggests that ADHD should be considered a neurological disorder.
A study says ADHD is a neurological issue.
These differences were more dramatic in kids than in adults, leading the study’s authors to conclude that ADHD involves delayed brain development. It appears that as the brains of people with ADHD develop and mature, these brain regions “catch up” to the brain regions of people without ADHD. At the time of the study, 455 of the participants with ADHD were taking medication like Adderall, and more than 600 others had taken medication in the past but were not currently. Brain volume differences did not correlate with stimulant use, suggesting that such discrepancies were not a result of medication.
Key takeaways
- A new research finds that certain brain structures related to emotion and reward are smaller in people with ADHD.
- ADHD research has shown that scientist should consider this a neurological disorder and not a behavioral disorder.
- The research hopes to combat misunderstandings about ADHD.
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