ADHD is not a behavioural problem, laziness, or a lack of discipline; rather it’s a neurodevelopmental condition rooted in the structure and chemistry of the brain.
Key Brain Areas Involved
1. Prefrontal Cortex – The Executive Hub. It is involved in focus, planning, impulse control, decision-making.
In ADHD: This is often underactive. This leads to difficulty with staying focused on tasks, managing time, controlling impulses, and following through with plans
Think of it like the brain’s CEO going offline at random times.
2. Basal Ganglia: It is involved in motivation, habit formation, and reward processing.
In ADHD: Often smaller or less active. This affects the ability to stay on task without external reward, starting tasks (especially boring ones), and regulating motor activity (hence fidgeting).
3. Cerebellum: It is involved in co-ordination and emotional regulation.
In ADHD: In some individuals, the cerebellum is slightly smaller. This can affect coordination, emotional sensitivity and learning pace.
4. Anterior Cingulate Cortex- It is involved in error detection, emotion, conflict resolution.
In ADHD: May show irregular activity, which affects task-switching, managing conflicting information and emotional resilience.
Brain Chemicals (Neurotransmitters)
Dopamine
- Often too low or poorly regulated in ADHD brains.
- Dopamine is crucial for: feeling reward or pleasure, motivation to start and complete tasks, and learning and attention.
This is why ADHD individuals may hyperfocus on things they like (video games, art, etc.) but struggle with “boring” tasks—they don’t get that dopamine kick unless they’re emotionally engaged.
Norepinephrine
- Also involved in alertness and response to stress.
- Dysregulation in ADHD contributes to: distractibility, poor emotional control, fatigue and low mental stamina’
Why They Do What They Do
ADHD behaviours are often adaptive, not just disruptive. Here’s a breakdown of why people with ADHD act the way they do, based on brain function.
1. Fidgeting & Moving Constantly
- Physical movement stimulates the brain and increases dopamine and norepinephrine levels.
- It’s a way to self-regulate, not an act of defiance.
2. Impulsivity
- With a slower or underactive prefrontal cortex, the brake system on behaviour does not act in quickly.
- This leads to blurting out, interrupting, or acting before thinking.
3. Inattention or Distractibility
- It’s not that they cannot pay attention, it is that they pay attention to everything.
- Filtering out unimportant stimuli is harder, so their focus bounces from one thing to the next.
4. Hyperfocus
- When something is deeply interesting, dopamine floods in and creates an intense, sustained focus.
- This is not under conscious control; it’s like a mental tunnel vision.
5. Emotional Reactivity
- ADHD brains often experience emotions more intensely and suddenly.
- It’s linked to the limbic system and poor regulation from the frontal cortex.
The ADHD Brain is Wired Differently, Not Broken
- ADHD involves a delay in brain maturation, especially in self-regulation areas.
- There’s a chemical imbalance (mainly dopamine and norepinephrine) that affects reward, motivation, and attention.
- Behaviours are often ways of coping with internal brain chaos.
- With the right support, people with ADHD can thrive, often bringing high creativity, energy, empathy, and innovation.
Homeopathy can help with ADHD symptoms, it is not just managing symptoms but transforming the individual as a whole.
REFERENCES:
American Psychiatric Association (2022) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-5-TR. 5th ed., text rev. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing.
Arnsten, A.F.T. (2009) ‘The Emerging Neurobiology of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: The Key Role of the Prefrontal Association Cortex’, The Journal of Pediatrics, 154(5), pp. I-S43–I-S49. doi:10.1016/j.jped.
Barkley, R.A. (2015) Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Handbook for Diagnosis and Treatment. 4th ed. New York: Guilford Press.
Castellanos, F.X. and Proal, E. (2012) ‘Large-scale brain systems in ADHD: beyond the prefrontal-striatal model’, Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 16(1), pp. 17–26.
Faraone, S.V. and Biederman, J. (2005) ‘Neurobiology of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder’, Biological Psychiatry, 57(11), pp. 1310–1313.
Konrad, K. and Eickhoff, S.B. (2010) ‘Is the ADHD Brain Wired Differently? A Review on Structural and Functional Connectivity in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder’, Human Brain Mapping, 31(6), pp. 904–916.
Rubia, K. (2018) ‘Cognitive Neuroscience of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Its Clinical Translation’, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 12, p. 100.
Shaw, P. et al. (2007) ‘Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is characterized by a delay in cortical maturation’, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 104(49), pp. 19649–19654.
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