I have never been diagnosed with ADD. To be honest, that’s probably because I am old enough that it was not something normally examined back then. (And, it probably would not have been part of any exam anyway, given the familial background in which I was raised.) But, I do have the tics, mannerisms, and the coiled energy that many ADD folks exude. And, my children have similar makeup.
It seems that the brains of ADD children reflect the actions of the child. Why that is considered surprising is beyond me. The dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (DACC), the portion of the brain that serves as the “Maestro” for mental activity, orchestrating the actions of the various components, has been found to be very active in children with ADD. The reason- the brains of these children are trying to juggle multiple, simultaneous tasks. And, it may be so active because it does not operate as efficiently as it does for “normal” children.
Since this blog has been published, the research done at Wayne State University (Detroit, MI) under the direction of Dr. Tudor Puiu, along with Drs. Diwadkar, Stanley, and White have been published. Initially presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, the final article can be found here.
Using fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging), the scientists examined 19 ADD children and 23 controls (non-affected children) for their ability to remember a simple sequence of numbers. The children ranged in age from 7 to 14. The researchers postulate that the difference in DACC activity they found may be the underlying reason for the impulsivity, focus, and inattentiveness of ADD children.
It is presumed that there are some 2 million children diagnosed with attention deficit disorder; unfortunately, the neurobiology for this disease has not been ascertained. Moreover, as is true for many children’s mental afflictions, the preponderance has increased dramatically in recent years.
I often wonder how much new technology and computer use at such young ages affects our youth when it comes to ADD and ADHD. I’m guessing there have been some studies on this? Thanks for an interesting post, as usual, Roy! Suerae
Suerae Stein recently posted..Dining Room with a Loon
I, for one, Suerae, do not believe that the use of technology is leading to the development of ADD/ADHD. That, to me, holds about as much water as the inane concept some folks have to blame vaccinations for their child’s situations.
I can believe that we leave our children alone with this technology and don’t put limits on them (since we have abandoned them to this new babysitter- tv or electronic games). Given that, it is possible that children won’t be able to determine what is acceptable behavior and can develop some bad habits. Unlearning them (especially when no one was observing how they learned them in the first place) would be a major challenge.
But, then, again, I am not a child psychologist- nor do I play one on TV (or electronic game boards).
Roy
Hey Roy,
You pick another one of my favorite topics; though this was my least liked paper during my masters…but then it was such an integral part of the course. What continually surprises me about ADD is that children from various generations have been diagnosed with it, so there is no singular cause we can put our fingers on (technology, cultural changes or the likes) but then a combination of these changes might be making some contribution.
Also, children in this part of the world have been increasingly been diagnosed with the disorder; it remains to be studied whether this is just because people have become more aware than they were a few years back and can better avail advanced medical services or anything else.
My little cousin was recently diagnosed with ADD and the doctor mentioned how certain processed food can also play a role in this. So the research on ADD seems to cover a vast expanse.
Thanks for another great post!
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Glad you liked it, Hajra!
Thanks for the visit- and the comment.
Roy