ADHD: The Newest Research on Causes, Diagnoses, Risks, and Treatments

It may seem as if we’ve been hearing more and more about ADHD lately, but that’s happening for a great reason: because the neuroscience community is putting significant time and money into learning more about the disorder. Thanks to advances in technology (for example, the ability to see the brain at work with functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI), in the last year alone we’ve learned an amazing amount about diagnosing and treating the disorder, as well as the risks associated with treating it (and not treating it).

Cause

There are several obstacles to studying what causes ADHD. One is the question of “cause or effect”: are certain factors caused by the disorder, or do those factors create (or contribute to) the disorder?

For example, there’s new evidence that women who use acetaminophen during the pregnancy may increase the risk of their child developing behavioral problems linked to ADHD (www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/273107.php). But the researchers first had to determine that the cause and effect weren’t reversed. What if those mothers were taking acetaminophen because another child’s ADHD symptoms were causing them to have stress headaches? The researchers had to rule out the possibility that ti was solely genetics that were causing the new baby to later develop ADHD.

Another recent study found a strong correlation between childhood physical abuse and ADHD. In the general population, about seven percent of adults without ADHD said they were physically abused before age 18. But among those adults with ADHD, the number jumps to 30 percent (www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/273702.php). Why? Researchers aren’t sure, but they’re careful to avoid the assumption that the abuse caused the ADHD; it’s possible that the parents’ added stress from the child’s ADHD symptoms increased the risk of abuse.

There is no one known cause of ADHD. There is a genetic factor--it tends to run in families, and children with ADHD usually have at least one close relative who also has it. A specific gene has also been pinpointed as carrying a much greater risk of ADHD. But there are other factors as well. Symptoms have been linked to environmental issues like food dyes and toxins, and new research indicates that children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy are twice as likely to develop ADHD (www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/276767.php).

Ultimately, however, regardless of how it arose, ADHD is caused by neurologic deficits in attention skills. That could mean that the person’s sustained, selective, or divided attention skills are weak; in most people with ADHD, all three are weak. Cognitive skills testing also confirms that most people with ADHD also have deficits in memory and processing speed.

Diagnosis

In addition to cognitive skills testing, which identifies weak attention skills, two new studies may lead to new ways to diagnose ADHD.

A team at the Medical University of South Carolina used an imaging technique to look at the iron levels in people with ADHD. They found that those who had not taken taken stimulant medications had low brain iron levels. In other words, low brain iron may be an early indicator of ADHD (www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/278362.php).

Another study out of China indicates that resting-state fMRIs may provide an early and accurate diagnosis of ADHD (www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/276150.php).

Treatment

For those who choose to give their children and teens stimulant medication, there is good news: it appears to decrease the risk of smoking later in life (www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/276703.php). This is important because research shows that adults with ADHD smoke at twice the rate of those without ADHD, and they also start earlier.

If you’re looking for a medication-free way to address the root cause of ADHD, enroll your child or teen in personal brain training to strengthen their neurological attention skills. Also known as cognitive skills training, one-on-one brain training harnesses the brain’s plasticity to build new, faster, or more efficient connections between neurons, which improves the targeted cognitive skills.

Unlike computer “brain games,” personal brain training is customized for each person based on the results of a cognitive skills assessment. And unlike tutoring, which focuses on specific subjects, like history or math, cognitive skills training strengthens the fundamental brain skills needed to excel in ANY subject. The results are transferable to virtually every task a child or teen will encounter: musicians can memorize more music, athletes have faster processing speeds to react, teens report better driving skills, and children with dyslexia can finally read fluently. All these noticeable improvements also tend to have a great effect on self-confidence.

Risks of Treatment

While stimulant medications have been known to work well for some people with ADHD, they are certainly not without risk. It’s important to know the risks so you can make an informed decision as to how to treat your child’s ADHD.

First, there’s a risk for dependency. Adderall(TM) and Vyvanse(TM) are in the same pharmaceutical classification as morphine and Oxycontin(TM); they’re amphetamines, and amphetamines can be addictive.

Second, stimulants have been known to cause side effects--from insomnia, seizures, twitching, and aggression to sudden high blood pressure, behavioral changes, and feeling “out of it.”

There’s also a new study from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health indicating a link between stimulant medication and an increased obesity risk (www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/274146.php), as well as a study of 700,000 children in Denmark, which indicated that stimulant drugs can accelerate heart disease that will often not be recognized until later in life (www.foxnews.com/health/2014/07/02/study-stimulants-used-to-treat-adhd-ma...).

There’s certainly plenty to consider when weighing the risks and benefits of treating ADHD with stimulant medications versus other proven methods, such as personal brain training to strengthen weak cognitive skills. Although cognitive skills training carries no physical risks, it does cost money, so be sure to ask for independently analyzed results so you know you’re working with a company that uses scientifically proven methods.

Consequences of Not Treating ADHD

Untreated ADHD has serious repercussions for every aspect of one’s life. From poor grades, anxiety, and chronic disorganization in school, to time management issues, addiction, and depression as adults.

While children with untreated ADHD may avoid school, take significantly longer to complete homework than their peers, and experience low self-esteem, adults also suffer when ADHD is untreated. Because there has long been a link between untreated ADHD and various types of addiction, researchers continue to study the effects of ADHD treatment to prevent and treat addiction. A recent study from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai found that a single dose of Ritalin(TM) helped improve brain function in people addicted to cocaine (www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/262668.php).

Perhaps the best proof of the benefits of treating ADHD--regardless of which treatment is used--is that the brains of adults who have “recovered” from childhood ADHD have synchronous activity between certain parts of their brain, while adults who still have ADHD do not (www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/278090.php).

With so many risks associated with untreated ADHD, the earlier you seek help the better. Research is key, so to find out more about ADHD medications, visit www.help4adhd.org, and to find out more about brain training, visit www.learningrx.com.