What brain changes occur with ADHD?
Studies show that children and adults with ADHD tend to have abnormal functioning, or dysregulation, of certain brain chemicals known as neurotransmitters. There also tends to be abnormal functioning in the nerve pathways that regulate behavior. In addition, children with ADHD may have certain parts of the brain that are smaller or less active than they are in children who don’t have ADHD. Recent studies show that the brain chemical, dopamine, may play a role in ADHD. Dopamine is an important chemical that carries signals between nerves in the brain. It is linked to many functions, including movement, sleep, mood, attention, and learning. One dopamine study focused on the genetics of ADHD — specifically, on a particular variation of the DRD4 gene. This gene is associated with a dopamine receptor in the brain. What the study showed is that children with ADHD are more likely to have a certain variation of the DRD4 gene than children without ADHD. Interestingly, not all kids with ADHD in
