Cortical%20Changes%20In%20%20Attention%20Deficit%20Hyperactivity%20Disorder%20(ADHD)

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Cortical ChangesIn Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder(ADHD)
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This Presentation Will Help You

• Understand the brain anatomy associated with ADHD
• Understand some of the causes of ADHD
• Understand some of the symptoms of ADHD
• Other Power Point Presentations on this Site Will
  Give You More Basic Understanding About Learning
  Differences

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ADHD

• Is often referred to as ADD
• Has a symptom pattern that is evident before age
  7 years
• Has a life long influence on the individual
• This presentation will help you understand the
  cortical (brain) differences that have been found
  with this syndrome.

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Syndrome

• A syndrome is a condition which has a specific
  set of symptoms.
• These symptoms are well documented.
• With ADHD, symptoms are documented in the DSM IV
  which is a reference book compiled by
  psychiatrists for conditions that affect mental
  health.
• Syndromes are organic, that is, they relate to
  how the body functions.

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Lets Look At Difference In The Cerebral Cortex
That Have Been Found In Individuals With ADHD.
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There Are Several Studies That Explore
Anatomical Differences In ADHD Individuals.
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These Changes Include

• Overall brain size
• The frontal lobe
• is responsible for
• executive functioning
• regulating impulse control
• attention
• other thought processes

Frontal lobe
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• The brain of ADHD children was found to be 3
  smaller in volume compared to those of normal
  children.
• Brain size differences remained relatively the
  same (allowing for growth) through a child's
  development, suggesting that differences are
  fixed.

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Pet Scans Also Show Distinct Differences In
Cortical Size With ADHD.
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Speculation As To The Reasons For Decreased
Cortical Size

• Include many factors, but one has been ruled-out.
• Some scientists speculated that brain size was
  affected by cortical stimulants, such as Ritalin
  or Adderall, which were routinely prescribed for
  ADHD individuals.
• However, research has proven otherwise.

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Medication To Help ADHD Does Not Affect Brain Size

• Brain differences among ADHD children who took
  medication such as Ritalin, and those who did not
  take medication were similar.
• This suggests that medication does not cause
  changes in brain development, as some researchers
  have suggested.

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Lack Of Change In The Physiology Of Cortical Size
Supports Congenital Etiology

• The fact that the brain differences remain
  largely unchanged after ten or more years
  suggests that the cause of ADHD occurs
  prenatally.
• ADHD could be genetic, occur during the birth
  process, or occur early in life.
• This gives researchers directions to examine
  regarding the causes of ADHD and variations of
  the disorder.

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In Addition To Size, Brain Chemistry Is Affected
In ADHD
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Neurotransmitters Are Affected In ADHD Individuals

• Children in the ADHD group seemed to have
  decreased levels of GABA, which might explain
  poor impulse control
• And higher levels of glutamate, which is
  excitatory and can be toxic to nerve cells in
  high amounts.
• Both GABA and glutamate are neurotransmitters, or
  brain chemical messengers.

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• In addition to having brains which are
  slightly smaller than normal, there are other
  cortical differences in children with ADHD.
• Researchers have long suspected that the
  disorder is caused by a dysfunction in the
  frontal lobes of the brain which control emotions
  and impulses.

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• The frontal lobe is thought to be the seat of
  emotion in the individual. Many ADHD individuals
  have angry outbursts and are easily irritated.
• It is postulated that emotional outbursts are
  also due to easy fatigability.
• ADHD individuals use an enormous amount of energy
  paying attention, even when they are on
  medication.

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Therefore

• They are more easily fatigued
• More easily irritated
• And tend to have difficulty controlling behavior.

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ALSO

• Studies have shown that ADHD individuals often
  have lower levels of dopamine, a neurotransmitter
  that is implicated in depression.
• This finding, as well as the genetic connection,
  may help explain why parents, particularly
  mothers, of ADHD individuals are often diagnosed
  with recurrent depression.

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Frontal Lobe involvement

• explains why ADHD individuals have difficulty
  modulating both emotion and attention.
• Their irritability is not only due to fatigue,
  but also to a compromised ability to control
  emotions.

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• Children and teenagers with ADHD have less tissue
  in parts of the brain's prefrontal and temporal
  lobes than those without attentional disorders.
• This was reported by neurologist Elizabeth R.
  Sowell of the University of California, Los
  Angeles School of Medicine and her coworkers.

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• Children with ADHD display an excessive density
  of the neuron-rich tissue known as gray matter in
  regions of the cortex toward the back of the
  brain.

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Brain Differences In ADHD Are Well Documented.

• Changes in brain physiology for ADHD and Reading
  Disorders have been documented by several
  researchers.
• But not all disorders have brain changes that are
  easy to identify.

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Please See Our Other Power Point Presentations
For More Information

• The David Program
• LaSalle College High School

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This Presentation Was Compiled By

• Jo Ann Curcio Cohen, Ph.D.
• Licensed Psychologist
• Learning Specialist
• The David Program