ADHD and the Brain

By Natalee Embry
In this presentation I hope to attempt to teach that
ADHD is a brain based disorder.

I will cover the areas of the brain that are affected and
the triad of neurotransmitters that are involved in this
disorder.

Most people are aware of what ADHD looks like on the

outside but I believe to truly understand ADHD we
should know what is happening on the inside.
ADHD is not caused by:

Will Power

Inadequate Parenting

Lack of Motivation

Lack of Intelligence

Laziness
Meet a few accomplished people who
have ADHD:

Ozzy Osbourne
Albert Einstein
Whoopi Goldberg
Winston Churchill
Walt Disney
ADHD is now believed to be a Neurological
Disorders ( Brain Based) which can be genetic yet
the specific cause is still unclear. What we do
know is there is a lack of:

* Regulation of Attention
* Regulation of Motor Activity
* Regulation of Impulsivity.
Forssberg et al. (2006)
The thought is that there are several areas of the
brain that may be affected by ADHD. Some of
these areas are:

Frontal Lobes/Prefrontal Cortex

Limbic System
Basal Ganglia
Forssberg et al. (2006)
The Frontal Lobe/Prefrontal
Cortex helps us to:

Focus Concentration
Pay Attention to our tasks
Make good decisions
Plan Ahead
Learn and to remember what
we have learned.

To have proper behavior in

situations where it is required.
Armstrong (2010)
The prefrontal cortex is one of the last
areas of the brain to fully mature. In
patients with ADHD it is hypothesized
that they mature at a slower rate than
their peers without ADHD, sometimes
between two and three years slower.
However it must be said that children
with ADHD do undergo normal patterns
of brain development they just lag
behind their peers.
Armstrong (2010)
The Cerebellum is responsible for producing
coordinated muscle movements. It also
works to sequence thoughts of motion.
Sweeney (2010), Armstrong (2010)

Basal Ganglia also helps with movement and

motor control. Dopamine, either too much or
too little affects how the Basal Ganglia
communicates to the rest of the brain.
Sweeney (2009), Armstrong (2010)
These areas of the brain are now being
analyzed more closely due to
improvements in brain scans. We can now
see more closely what is happening inside
an active brain of someone with ADHD.
The scans most often in use for research
of ADHD are
MRI & fMRI (Magnetic Resonance
Imaging, functional Magnetic Resonance
Imaging)
PET (Positron-Emission Tomography)
MRI allows for a three
dimensional look at the brain.
With this scan the brain can
also be seen in individual
layers for a more localized
view of a particular area. It
shows a precise picture of the
physical shape of the brain.
Sweeney (2009)
fMRI A newer scan option that
uses blood flow to show images of
the working brain. Much like the
PET yet no radioactive chemicals
need to be used. It relies on
magnets that surrounds the
persons head. Changes in the
direction of the magnetic field
induce hydrogen atoms in the
brain to emit radio signals. These
signals increase when the level of
blood oxygen goes up, indicating
which parts of the brain are most
active.
Sweeney (2009)
PET scans use radioactive
isotopes that are injected into
the blood stream and then
traced by a computer as it
travels through the brain.
This type of test allows us to
watch a living brain in action
as it reveals blood flow,
oxygen and glucose
metabolize in the brain.
Sweeney (2009)
There are chemical
differences in the brains of
people with ADHD.
These chemicals are:

Dopamine

Norepinephrine

New Research is also

suggesting:

Glutamate
Serene et al. (2007)
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter
that transmits signals in between
nerve cells.
Dopamine influences the
functions of the brain that include
regulating attention, cognition,
movement, pleasure the area of
the frontal lobes/prefrontal
cortex need dopamine to
function and mature properly.
People with ADHD have
disturbances in the dopamine
system innervating the basal
ganglia and the frontal lobes. The
lack of dopamine makes it difficult
for someone with ADHD to pay
attention to non stimulating
activities. Its not that people with
ADHD are over stimulated rather
they are under stimulated.
Forssberg et al.(2006) Armstrong (2010)
Norepinephrine is a
neurotransmitter that is
responsible for moving nerve
impulses between neurons.
acting as a neurotransmitter
Norepinephrine’s role is for
arousal and attentiveness. A lack
of norepinephrine causes issue’s
with attention and emotional
responses.
Sweeney (2009)
Glutamate is also a
neurotransmitter and its role is
important to learning and
memory. Small quantities of
glutamate “excite” cells to
increase activity. Too much
glutamate however can have
damaging effects by killing
neurons.
Sweeny (2009)
Research is now finding that
people with ADHD have
higher levels of glutamate in
the anterior cingulated
cortex, this part of the brain
helps regulate rational
thought such as anticipating
rewards, making decisions,
having/feeling empathy as
well as regulate emotion.
This area of ADHD research
is relatively new and more
research is needed.
Glutamate is crucial to the
brain.
Serene et al. (2007)
 So what does this all mean?

It means that ADHD is a We are certain of the areas of

brain based disorder. the brain that is being
We are still unsure what the affected in people with ADHD
specific initial cause is. and we know what the roles
The relationship between of those parts of the brain
dopamine, nor epinephrine are.
and glutamate are the triad
of chemicals that are
specifically affected in the
brains of ADHD people.
Research is being expanded
due to newer high tech
imaging machines and
computer programs that are
allowing scientist to see the
active human brain in ways
they have never seen before
opening doors to better
research and possibly even a
cure, but better treatments
for certain.
Also, we know that ADHD
does not mean that a person
cannot be successful and
Never forget the child inside you
achieve great things.
Armstrong, T. (2010) . Neurodiversity: Discovering the
extraordinary gifts of Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, and other
brain differences. Philadelphia: Da Capo Press
This books attempts to point out the many advantages to
different brain disorders and their role in evolution. A
positive approach at discovering the many reasons behind
the disorders and how people with them can flourish
outside of their brain disorder labels. It steps aside from
stereotypes of psychiatric medicine and focuses on getting
the most out of a “different mind”.
Forssberg, H., Fernell, E., Waters, S., Waters, N., & Tedroff,
J. (2006). Altered pattern of brain dopamine synthesis in
male adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder. Behavioral & Brain Functions, 240-10.
doi:10.1186/1744-9081-2-40 Retrieved from EBSCOhostA
research article that was aimed at trying to locate inside the
brain what areas were lacking in dopamine function. Using
PET scans they compared results between ADHD and
control groups. Their findings were conclusive that there
were dopamine receptor differences, yet they were only
able to focus on small areas for their results. ADHD needs to
be broken down into further subtypes and those areas be
studied specifically. There is yet no one theory of ADHD
that is conclusive.
Serene, J., Ashtari, M., Szeszko, P. R., & Kumra,
S. (2007). Neuroimaging Studies of Children
With Serious Emotional Disturbances: A Selective
Review. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 52(3),
135-145. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
A reasearch article using data from published
reports that attempts to briefly describe findings.
MRI imagining that shows the potential for
children with psychiatric disorders to have
underlying neurodevelopmental issues. It
supports the need for more brain imaging testing
to further the potential diagnosis and treatment
for child psychiatric disorders.
Sweeney, M. (2009). Brain the complete mind.
Washington, D.C. : National Geographic Society
College level text book that teaches about the
human brain. It uses current issues and discoveries
about the development of the human brain. This
text covers the brain from in utero through the aging
process with everything that happens in between.