Patients with type II diabetes are more likely to show poor impulse control, according to a new study from Tokyo Women's Medical University in Japan.

• Dr. Yasuhiko Iwamoto and her colleagues found that middle-aged, newly diagnosed patients with Type II diabetes were more likely to have deficits in impulse control, which could explain why so many patients have trouble following their diets and maintaining exercise regimes.
• Dr. Iwamoto performed psychological tests on 27 Type II diabetic patients and 27 people without that condition.
• The research revealed that diabetics were more likely to have impulsive responses to stimuli instead of using executive function abilities in their brains.
  

The study appears in the journal BioPsychoSocial Medicine.

Labels: impulsivity, impluse control

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

A study that will appear in the March issue of Pediatrics has found that foster children who are placed in loving, stable homes have fewer issues with attention and impulsivity.

• The study was conducted through the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.
• The study followed 252 children in 95 families for four years.
• Researchers talked with biological parents, foster parents, teachers and the children themselves.
• Most interesting and encouraging to researches was the affect environment had on symptoms related to ADHD  a disorder with proven biological components.

"Children whose parents reported higher parental warmth  how much do the parents like the child, how much affection the parent reports toward the child, how much time they spend together  showed fewer ADHD symptoms," HealthDay News reported, "while children whose parents reported hostility  being annoyed at the child, thinking the child a burden, being angry at the child  showed more ADHD symptoms."

Labels: attention, impulsivity, foster care

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

Researchers at the University of Illinois have confirmed previous studies which concluded that exposure to green spaces has a calming effect on children with ADHD. The studies found that time spent outdoors improved both attention and impulse control.

An Oct. 17 article by Mary Helen Jones of the Henderson (NC) Daily Dispatch provided the following details about this discovery:

The "degree of green" appears to matter with greater effects from the greenest or most wilderness-like environment.

A walk in the forest trumps a walk in the park or playing organized sports in recreational park fields. Park experiences reap better results than a walk in a neighborhood or downtown area. "Green" play more effectively reduced ADHD symptoms than active play in a gym or play on paved surfaces. ...

According to researcher Frances E. Kuo, "as little as 20 minutes of outdoor exposure could potentially buy you an afternoon or a couple of hours to get homework done."

Labels: attention, impulsivity, environment

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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

Previous studies have found that kids with ADHD can benefit from eating and restricting certain types of foods. Most of those studies focused on diet plans to help with ADHD-related symptoms such as lack of attention and impulsivity.

But a new study out of the Netherlands has found that eliminating certain foods can also help ADHD kids sleep better.

“The 15 children who followed the elimination diet showed an overall 4.6 times greater reduction than the other 12 children in all physical and sleep problems; overall complaints were reduced by 77% in the elimination diet group, versus only 17 percent in the control group.” - Source: FYI Living

Kids who were fed and elimination diet were only fed hypoallergenic food including turkey, rice, lettuce, carrots, pears, beets and water.

 

Labels: impulsivity, nutrition, diet

Posted By: 4ADHD.com 1 Comment