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ADHD and The Brain - Part 1
ADHD and The Brain - Part 1
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The brain and ADHD
Dr Mark Kennedy: So, back in Week 1, we very briefly discussed that it's
possible to see differences in the brains of those with ADHD. Can you tell
us a bit more about the structural differences?
So, this latest mega-analysis, which I just mentioned, of over 2,000 ADHD
patients, which is called the ENIGMA ADHD study and where, as I said,
King's College is also one of the centres, we found that ADHD children
have smaller structure in several prefrontal regions and several temporal
and parietal regions, as well as smaller volumes in subcortical areas of the
brain, like the basal ganglia and the limbic system, in particular, the
amygdala and the hippocampus.
Several of the structure abnormalities, in particular, frontal and anterior
cingulate areas, have been related to poor self-control, impulsiveness and
poor inhibitory control, while, in particular, frontal-parietal areas and
connections have been associated to inattention symptoms.
The frontal lobes also connect to other cortical areas, like the parietal and
temporal lobes, which are crucial for attention, for switching, for working
memory and other higher-level cognitive functions. The frontal lobe is the
superlative region of the brain. We can call it the CO of the brain. And it
exerts top-down control over other regions. And together, with its
connections to these other parts of the brain, it controls a wide range of
behaviours.
And, through this development of these networks, the child becomes more
and more efficient in the top-down control of his emotions, of his cognition,
of his motivation, etc. So, this process of increasing maturity and the
development of these frontal-striatal and frontal-cerebellar connections
with age, this process seems to be delayed in ADHD patients. And this has
been related to their problems with behaviour and inattention and with
their impulsiveness, as well as with their cognitive and motivation
problems.