ADHD Stereotypes

Attention is the selective focusing and utilization of the brain’s processing resources on a piece of information while simultaneously filtering and ignoring other perceivable information. The amount of time one can maintain this concentration without becoming distracted is known as their attention span. With modern society’s focus on higher education and long work hours, combined with the introduction of smart phones and the internet providing a wealth of available distractions, the ability to hold one’s attention has become of increasing value. Mental disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and its subtypes, which impair the ability to hold an attention span, have also become increasingly more diagnosed and less stigmatized. As such, an interest in researching how the brain goes about creating and mainting attention, as well as ways in which it can be improved, have been target areas of research in recent decades.
How exactly the brain goes about creating attention is still largely unknown. What is known, however, is that levels of neurotransmitters in certain areas of the brain are responsible for creating a brain environment more favorable to long attention spans. Primarily, the catecholamine neurotransmitters norepinephrine and dopamine have been targeted as being responsible and manipulating the levels of …show more content…
Norepinephrine is synthesized in the brain by hydroxylation of dopamine, making its structure almost identical to that of dopamine, differing only in the addition of a hydroxyl group. Norepinephrine is commonly known for its relation to adrenaline in preparing the body’s “fight or flight” response. More specifically, norepinephrine in the brain is largely responsible for alertness and readiness for action. Readying the brain for action includes enhancing sensory processing, increasing attention span, and enhancing memory retrieval and