About ADHD
What is ADHD?
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a neurobiological condition in which there is a deficiency of certain neurotransmitters (dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine for example) in the brain. Specifically in the frontal cortex, the limbic system, the basal ganglia and the reticular activating system regions.
It is a genetic, long term condition where an individual's brain development and brain activity is different to that of a neurotypical person. People with ADHD have executive functioning challenges. These are the mental processes and skills that allow us to get things done and are predominantly controlled by the prefrontal cortex of our brains, this is the last part of our brain to mature fully during our lifetime.
Brain activity and blood flow is lower in the areas of the brain that control executive functioning in those individuals that have ADHD compared with those that do not.
