Research Shows Malfunction in Brain’s Reward Center is Associated with Symptoms of ADHD; A disease linked with reward pathway of the brain can be associated with the symptoms related to ADHD (Attention Deficiency Hyperactivity Disorder).

As per the new study, the malfunction in the pathway of the human brain interferes with the experience of people with motivation and reward. A chemical which is required in brain for standard operation of the nervous system is Dopamine.

The shortages in the reward system of the brain system can help in explicating the clinical symptoms related to ADHD, which includes reduced motivation and inattention and also the chances for the complication like obesity and drug abuse among the patients suffering from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as per the researcher Nora Volknow, the director and head of the National Drug Abuse Institute who has expressed his views in the news release.

Basics About ADHD

ADHD is a psychological disorder that occurs mainly among children and could also occur in adults and it has said to affect around three to five percent of the adults in United States of America. The researchers have stated that the results could offers various new insights about the Attention Deficiency Hyperactivity disorder and the reasons behind the people affected with ADHD to opt for drug abuse and extreme obesity.

The study about this disease was released in the American Medical association journal. They made use of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan of the brain to calculate the dopamine markers in the brain with fifty three adults who were non-medicated with ADHD and also made a comparison with another group containing forty four adults who were healthy and did not suffer from ADHD.

The results proved that when the people suffering from ADHD were compared with healthy individuals, the people who had ADHD had loss of dopamine receptors which are the transporters in two important regions of brain that are associated with motivation and reward.

Use of Brain Stimulants to Increase Dopamine levels

This brain pathway is very important as it plays major role in motivations, reinforcement and in knowing about association of different stimuli with the rewards as per the reports of Volkow. The involvement of the pathway of the brain in ADHD helps the use of intercessions to improve the relevance and appeal of work and school tasks for improving the performance of children.

The results from the study supports the ongoing usage of the medications for stimulation, the most standard medications used for the pharmacological ADHD treatments that have shown increase in the concentrations towards cognitive tasks by increasing the dopamine levels in the brain as per the report of Volkaw. By making use of stimulant drugs to enhance level of dopamine in brain, the ADHD symptoms can be reduced and the patients can feel better.

Some of the common symptoms of ADHD are visible in people that include incessant fiddling, short attention span, and unable to complete any task. There are other distinguished symptoms as well. There are various types of ADHD that are used to treat the basic ADHD and treatment is advised by consuming medicines like Ritalin.

The symptoms of ADHD may be confusing and may lead you to conclude prevalence of other disorders. The symptoms sometimes are easily understood and other times are very complex hence not easily identifiable. Doctors trust that examining the brain and its functions would help in treating ADHD. Dr Daniel Amen has successfully created his version of ADHD subtypes that are dependent on the scans of the brain.

Diagnosis of ADHD

Majorly doctors opine that the identification of ADHD is done by numerous tests that are especially designed to measure hyperactivity and inattentiveness that is clearly mention in the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). If a particular patient is suffering from ADHD then the typical behavioral symptoms should have been prevalent for more than six months and should be severe in nature.

The symptoms of inattention are as follows :

• Missing out details
• Making sloppy mistakes
• Short attention span
• Inability to patiently hear
• Incapable to comprehend instructions
• Excessively and easily distracted
• Shrugging away tasks that need effort
• Forgetfulness

The symptoms of Hyperactivity of ADHD are as follows :

• Fiddling
• Wriggling
• Unable to remain seated in one place for a long time
• Incessant talking
• Making noise while playing or any other activity

The above mentioned symptoms determine the criteria of the various types of ADHD. There are three basic types of ADHD disorder.

The first is ADHD Combined type that has both the symptoms of hyperactivity and inattentiveness. The second type is primarily the inattentive type that clearly lacks hyperactivity symptoms and the third type is the hyperactive type of ADHD that lacks inattention symptoms.

Dr. Amen has classified ADHD disorder as per the scans of the brain and their functioning. The basic symptoms include inattentiveness, easily distracted, much disorganized and lack of inner control.

These symptoms and the scans of the brain which directly display the attention span and memory have determined six types of ADHD disorders.

Classic ADHD – It has all the basic symptoms and has hyperactivity symptoms as well.

Inattentive ADHD – It has the basic symptoms of ADHD and the patient suffers from low levels of energy.

Overfocused ADHD – It has the basic symptoms of ADHD and the patient displays a host of pessimistic behavior like arguments and fights. Patients are given antidepressants as well.

Temporal Lobe ADHD – It has the basic symptoms of ADHD and the behavior of the patient is dominated by irritation and assertiveness. Patients respond to antiseizure medication.

Limbic ADHD – It has the basic symptoms of ADHD along with bouts of depression and low levels of motivation. Patients imbibe antidepressants.

The Ring of Fire – It has combined symptoms of ADHD and the bipolar disease. The patient suffers from mood swings, assertiveness and annoyance. Patients are treated with anticonvulsants.