To understand the attention deficit or hyperactivity of someone close to you, it is important to understand the origin of their condition, the possible behaviors and the help that can be found from specialists.
Mental health disorders can be studied from different branches of science, one of these is neuroscience, which is responsible for understanding how people’s brains work when they live with a disorder.
What happens in the brain?
Thanks to the work that has been carried out, from this area of knowledge, it has been discovered that The presence in low quantities of different neurotransmitters (chemical substances found in the brain) may be the basis for some mental health and mood conditions..
One of these is, precisely, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD, in which it has been discovered that a deficiency in the levels of a substance called: norepinephrine.
Norepinephrine, in turn, is closely related to another substance called dopamine, the substance responsible for managing the reward and pleasure center of the brain.
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What does this mean?
Very simply, this means that These changes in brain chemicals affect how people with ADHD experience reward and motivation processes. and therefore, They are more likely to quickly lose interest in certain activities and seek more stimulation from the environment than other people.
These changes in the brain’s chemical transmitter systems end up affecting specific areas of this organ.
Involved areas
Some of the specific areas that are involved when a person has ADHD, and have been demonstrated, are:
1. Frontal lobe
This is the part of the brain that is located in front, just behind the forehead, and is the responsible for helping with the most complex processes that human beings carry out. Scientific studies have found that certain frontal lobe structures take longer to develop in people with ADHDwhich can lead to affecting functions such as:
- Decision making
- The organization
- The planning
- impulse control
- The trial
- The memory
- The attention
- The ability to achieve gratification
2. Limbic System
This region is located right in the center of the brain, in its deepest part. It is responsible for generating the emotional responses that we feel, and is involved in motivation processes and attention to different stimuli.
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3. Basal ganglia
Also located inside the brain, the basal ganglia are a group of nuclei responsible mainly motor control, as well as other functions such as motor learning, executive functions, behaviors and emotions. A deficiency here can cause a “short circuit” in communication and information within the brain, which becomes inattentive and impulsive.
4. Reticular activation system
This system is a network of neurons located in the brain stem responsible for our wake patterns, our ability to concentrate, and the fight-flight response; A deficiency here can cause inattention, impulsivity, or hyperactivity.
Thus, beyond learning each part of the brain or the names of chemical substances, it is important to see that There are real physical reasons that can cause these types of conditions. If anyone has this condition It’s not because he’s not trying, because he’s a “bad kid,” or because he doesn’t want to do things.it is because there are different causes that make their attention and motivation processes different.
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The important thing is to know that there are also therapeutic and, if necessary, pharmacological treatments that can help. So if you or someone close to you seems to have symptoms of ADHD, we invite you to consult with a professional.