A study recently published in the journal Biological Psychiatry has found that the reward system in the brains of children with ADHD may not be as well developed as it is in children who do not have the disorder.

A Feb. 11 HealthDay News article provided the following details about the study:

Spanish researchers used MRI to scan the brains of 42 children with ADHD and 42 other children with no signs of ADHD and found that the ventral striatum was smaller, particularly on the right side, in those with ADHD.

The ventral striatum includes the nucleus accumbens, which maintains levels of motivation when a person starts a task and continues to maintain motivation until the task is completed.

The reduced size of the ventral striatum in children with ADHD was associated with symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsiveness, the researchers said.

Labels: brain_activity

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

Experts with the University of Hertfordshire have developed a video game that they believe may be able to help ADHD children gain greater control over their behaviors. Nicky Broyd of WebMD Health News profiled the game in a Dec. 8, 2010, article:

Researchers from the University of Hertfordshires School of Psychology have been testing the game called Play Attention which uses EEG (Electroencephalography) biofeedback by detecting brain waves.

Researchers got 10 children with an attention deficit from Hertfordshire schools to use it three times a week for twelve weeks.

Children have to wear what looks like a cycle helmet, but is really a set of brain wave sensors linked to a computer. As long as the child concentrates, they stay in control of the games; but if their attention waivers the game stops.

The researchers found that, at the end of the study, the childrens impulsive behaviour was reduced, compared to a control group who had not used the system.

Labels: brain_activity, video_games, concentration

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

Lack of communication can cause all sorts of trouble. Scientists from the University of California Davis have found that may it be causing trouble in kids with ADHD. A study of childrens brain waves has revealed that certain areas of an ADHD childs brain dont communicate appropriately during tasks that require attention.

"In the experiments, children with diagnosed ADHD and normal children were given a simple attention test while their brain waves were measured. The test consisted of being shown a red or blue image, or hearing a high or low sound, and having to react by pressing a button." (Source: UCD)

Visual cues should have resulted in brain wave changes, and did in kids without ADHD. But kids with ADHD showed little or no change, indicating a lack of communication between the frontal cortex and other parts of the brain. Researchers say it's the first time such a disconnect has been documented.

Labels: brain_activity

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

A new study conducted through the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has found that an abnormality in the way the brain processes rewards and motivation may be a root cause of ADHD.

In studies past, researchers have focused on issues of attention and hyperactivity, viewing them as the primary issues -- but a NIDA release indicates that approach may need to be revised:

Recent studies have found that children with ADHD dont respond to rewards in the same way as children without ADHD, [lead researcher Nora] Volkow said. In addition to the classic symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity, there is also a disruption in motivations and sensitivity to rewards, she said.

This newest study found a disruption in the brains reward/motivation pathway in people with ADHD. The study also found a direct correlation between that disruption and the severity of inattention. Researchers called the study a wake up call for teachers, believing it emphasizes the importance of finding creative ways to keep kids engaged.

Labels: research, brain_activity, brain_chemistry

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

Parents like Karen George are becoming more common. When her son was diagnosed with ADHD, George was reluctant to put him on medication, because he was only 10 years old. Instead, she had him try a brain stimulation program designed to help improve short-term memory. She says that the approach worked.

"The size of the U.S. Market for brain stimulation products... more than doubled between 2005 and 2007 to $225 million, according to a new report by the consulting group SharpBrains... Even health insurers are getting in on the act. Humana, for example, has teamed up with Posit Science, which makes programs to enhance learning and memory..."

One potential downfall of the "brain games" is that the effects are not permanent. A child whose attention is improved will begin to relapse if the program is discontinued. But, say proponents of the games, the same is true of prescription medication. Source: Reuters

Labels: brain_activity, treatment, memory

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Twenty-five years ago, Dr. Dimitri Christakis joined many others in the medical world in the effort to convince parents that "smart TV" programs could help their children become super-smart. Today, after two decades of research, Dr. Christakis has reversed his opinion:

Millions of dollars in marketing... have helped persuade too many parents... that they're doing a good thing for their children, says Christakis. Studies have shown the opposite is true, that baby programs can actually delay language development... and harm attention spans. (The Toronto Star)

The debate continues among parents, some of whom prefer games and puzzles, while others refer to their television set as "my friend."

Labels: brain_activity, tv_watching, babies

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Autistic children may process sounds more slowly than normal children, which partially explains why they have problems in communication.

"Twenty milliseconds does not sound like much," said lead researcher Dr. Timothy Roberts of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "But it means that these kids are on the 'el" (in the word elephant) while the rest of the world is on the 'phant.'"

He and his colleagues used magnetoencephalography to measure 64 autistic children ages 6 to 15, and found a delay of one-fiftieth of a second in sound processing compared to a control group of children without the disorder.

"Since we speak about four syllables a second," Dr. Roberts said, "the autistic brain, being slower to process syllables, could easily get to the point of being overloaded." He presented his report to the Radiological Society of North America, noting that the new technique could prove valuable as a screening method for young children.

Autism has the symptoms of poor communication, repetitive behaviors, and avoidance of physical contact with other people. It affects one in 150 children.

Labels: autism, brain_activity, sounds

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Spikes in blood sugar can cause memory problems, according to a new study from Columbia Medical Center. Researchers believe that since the ability to regulate blood sugar lessens with age, their study could explain why it becomes harder to form new memories once you reach age 40 or so.

However, the results of this study also have implications for overweight children and teenagers at risk for Type 2 diabetes. Dr. Scott Small, author of the study, said that an overweight young person is not only at risk for heart disease and metabolic disorders, but also impairment of cognitive abilities.

"Whether they will be able to keep up with the demands of education and a fast-paced complex society - that's the part that scares me," he said.

Dr. Small and his colleagues first studied glucose levels in mice and monkeys to determine a connection with brain functions, and then used magnetic resonance imagining on 240 elderly volunteers.

This study appears in the Annals of Neurology.

Labels: nutrition, brain_activity, sugar

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Amnon Gimpel, M.D., has released a book titled Brain Exercises to Cure ADHD. Dr. Gimpel draws from over 30 years of academic and clinical experience in his book, which is meant to be a supplement to, and not a substitute for, medication.

"Dr. Gimpel explains that the child, adolescent or young adult (even some adults) is actually suffering from brain delays in some portions of the cortex, which may be treated with cognitive therapy and 'Brain Exercise Therapy.'"

Dr. Gimpel's book is not written as a textbook, but rather as a guide for parents and sufferers of ADHD to learn and implement his brain exercise therapy. Source: Jewish Press

Physical exercise, like the kind kids with ADHD get at summer camp, can also be a good form of treatment. Talisman Camps offers programs for kids with ADHD, ADD, and learning differences.

Labels: brain_activity, treatment, exercise

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Researchers at Cambridge University found that the brains of people who have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have abnormalities similar to healthy family members, indicating that the disorder may be genetic.

OCD is a disorder characterized by recurrent thoughts and ritualistic behaviors such as hand-washing, lining possessions up in a certain order, checking to see if doors are locked, etc.

Dr. Lara Menzies from the Brain Mapping Unit at Cambridge and others used magnetic resonance imagining (MRIs) to examine the brains of 31 people with OCD and 31 healthy close relatives such as siblings, and 31 others in a control. The OCD group and their family members had less gray matter in the area of their brains associated with suppressing responses compared to the control group.

OCD runs in families, and this new research may contribute to the theory that it is a genetic disorder.

Boarding schools for OCD can be found at the BoaridngSchoolsInfo directory.

Labels: brain_activity, genetics, ocd

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Scientists at the National Institute of Health have conducted a study which found a genetic link to ADHD and promises improvement over time. The gene, called DRD4, seems to increase the risk for ADHD in younger children by causing brain areas that control attention to be thinner. However, as the children get older, this gene appears to be associated with a normal thickening of the same areas of the brain.

"Although this particular gene version increased risk for ADHD, it also predicted better clinical outcomes and higher IQ than two other common versions of the same gene in youth with ADHD."

The DRD4 gene appears to account for about 30 percent of the genetic risk for ADHD. Read more at MedicalNewsToday.com.

Kids diagnosed with a non verbal learning disorder can get the best education at a school designed just for them. Learn more about Cedars Academy.

Labels: brain_activity, genetics, intelligence

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

A research team at a University in Adelaide, Australia recently studied the brain activity of children with ADHD to try and determine why they have such difficulty remembering. While playing a card game called "Snap" patients with ADHD, who were off their medication, had to recognize when two of the same cards appeared in a row.

"...but we found that children diagnosed with ADHD had incredible difficulty detecting doubles at all, news.com.au quoted lead researcher, PhD student Hannah Keage, as saying. 'They just weren't able to select that information about the cards properly and hold it online in their head,' she added."

Other tests showed that children were unable to recognize distractions as distractions. Read more at News.sawf.org.

Some of the best boarding schools for kids with ADHD can be found at the BoardingSchoolsInfo.com directory. Check out the list of Special Needs Boarding Schools to find the best school for your child.

Labels: medications, brain_activity, distractions

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

For children with ADHD, impulse control can be difficult if not impossible. Now, a team of researchers from Queen’s University have discovered how to track changes in the brain that are equated with improved impulsivity control.

“The team trained rats to control impulsive responses until a signal was presented. Electrical signals between cells in the brain’s frontal lobe grew stronger as they learned to control their impulses. This showed that impulsivity is represented, in a specific brain region, by a change in communication between neurons.” - Source: Biology News

By understanding where in the brain to look for improved impulsivity responses, doctors could – potentially – better track the effectiveness of medication and behavioral therapy, making adjustments as needed.

 

Labels: impulsivity, brain_activity

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 1 Comment

Research conducted at Britain's University of Nottingham appears to indicate that children with ADHD have an impaired ability to turn off a "daydreaming switch" in their brain. This "daydreaming" function is designed to help the brain pass time when not focused on a particular task -- but the inability to turn this feature off can create significant difficulties when the time comes to take on a tast that demands complete attention.

Richard Alleyne, the science correspondent for The Telegraph, described this research:

Using a video game, researchers compared brain scans of eighteen children with ADHD, aged between nine and 15 years old, against scans of a similar group of children without the condition.

The children with ADHD were tested when they were taking their methylphenidate and when they were off their medication.

By studying the brain scans, the researchers were able to show that typically developing children switched off their DMN network whenever they saw an item requiring their attention.

However, unless the incentive was high, or they had taken their medication, the children with ADHD would fail to switch off the DMN and would perform poorly.

Dr Martin Batty, co-author of the study, said: "Using brain imaging, we have been able to see inside the children's heads and observe what it is about ADHD that is stopping them concentrating.

The team's findings were published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

Labels: brain_activity, health, brain_chemistry

Posted By: 4ADHD.com 1 Comment