Recent research now connects reduced regional volumes of the cerebellum with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder. Stimulants are currently the most common method of treating this mental disorder, but what effect do they have on the brain and how are they subduing the symptoms?
Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD for short, is a very common childhood mental disorder, with symptoms ranging from difficulty paying attention to general hyperactivity. Many previous studies have analyzed this mental disorder and have found correlations with a decreased size of the frontal cortex, along with abnormal activation of the basal ganglion; both of which help with cognitive processing and decision-making. While these may …show more content…
The diagnosis of ADHD was established using the Schedule for Attentive Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version^1, as to be sure that the children were not previously misdiagnosed. Next a Socioeconomic status was estimated using Hollingsehd Four-Factor Index of Social Status^1, to better understand how children’s diagnosis was affected by their environment rather than purely genetic factors. This was needed to better understand the actual stimulant medication’s effects rather than the genotype environment interactions that could have influenced this disorder. Also any DSM-IV Axis I disorder was cause for exclusion from the control group to ensure the team was looking at ADHD brain surface morphology and not some other mental disorder^1.
The ADHD and control groups did not differ in age, full scale IQ or gender. Of the 46 ADHD patents, 19 were also diagnosed with another psychiatric condition such as depression and or anxiety. In all cases, ADHD was the primary clinical problem at the time of the scan. Out of the 46 ADHD patients, 31 were receiving stimulant medication at the time of the scan, and five were receiving some additional psychotropic agent. The two ADHD subgroups, stimulant receiving and non-stimulant receiving, did not differ in age, gender, full scale IQ level, or symptom
Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD for short, is a very common childhood mental disorder, with symptoms ranging from difficulty paying attention to general hyperactivity. Many previous studies have analyzed this mental disorder and have found correlations with a decreased size of the frontal cortex, along with abnormal activation of the basal ganglion; both of which help with cognitive processing and decision-making. While these may …show more content…
The diagnosis of ADHD was established using the Schedule for Attentive Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version^1, as to be sure that the children were not previously misdiagnosed. Next a Socioeconomic status was estimated using Hollingsehd Four-Factor Index of Social Status^1, to better understand how children’s diagnosis was affected by their environment rather than purely genetic factors. This was needed to better understand the actual stimulant medication’s effects rather than the genotype environment interactions that could have influenced this disorder. Also any DSM-IV Axis I disorder was cause for exclusion from the control group to ensure the team was looking at ADHD brain surface morphology and not some other mental disorder^1.
The ADHD and control groups did not differ in age, full scale IQ or gender. Of the 46 ADHD patents, 19 were also diagnosed with another psychiatric condition such as depression and or anxiety. In all cases, ADHD was the primary clinical problem at the time of the scan. Out of the 46 ADHD patients, 31 were receiving stimulant medication at the time of the scan, and five were receiving some additional psychotropic agent. The two ADHD subgroups, stimulant receiving and non-stimulant receiving, did not differ in age, gender, full scale IQ level, or symptom