Outgrowing ADD ADHD — ADD Tip o the Day 524

New brain imaging studies

I don’t pretend to understand this, but this is as close as I can get:

Years ago, I was taught that children outgrow ADHD ADHD during adolescence.

This is wrong.

Our brains are different:

In children, when our brains are at rest, two different areas are lit up on imaging. They are supposed to be synchronized. Ours are not.  Our  brain at rest is not resting.

Doesn’t that feel right?

A major feature of ADD ADHD is executive dysfunction

For about half of us, most of the symptoms of ADD ADHD do go away in adolescence, and those two areas get into sync, like “normal”.

But for almost all of us, the executive dysfunction continues anyway.

There is one brain network that is supposed to light up when our brain is at rest, and another that is supposed to light up when we are doing a task.

For us, they both are lit up. We are stepping on the gas pedal and the brake at the same time.

Doesn’t that feel right?

I’m hoping that some of you can make this more clear for us.

doug

bonus comment o the day:

Studies like this should lay to rest the argument that ADD ADHD does not exist, or that it is merely bad behavior.

They won’t.

 

the brain study

 

Stimulants can help.