The Different Brain Plasticity of An ADHD Person
Arnsten A. F. (2009). The Emerging Neurobiology of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder:
The Key Role of the Prefrontal Association Cortex. The Journal of pediatrics, 154(5), I–S43.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2009.01.018
Mostofsky, S. H., Cooper, K. L., Kates, W. R., Denckla, M. B., & Kaufmann, W. E. (2002).
Smaller prefrontal and premotor volumes in boys with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Biological psychiatry, 52(8), 785–794.
Introduction
The characteristics of an attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) include short or disjointed attention spans, impulsive reactions, and interestingly enough, sometimes poor motor skills. As mentioned in the previous blog post, the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is in charge of behavioral regulation and emotional feedback, and it is this portion of the brain that is affected by various biochemical factors in ADHD personnel.
Regarding the size and activation frequency of the PFC, it was found that the PFC was less activated in individuals with ADHD, and subsequently, the size of the PFC was quite smaller than in individuals who were neurotypical. Both the white and gray matter of the PFC was smaller, and this included portions of the PFC which were involved in motor skills, thus answering the question why ADHD individuals might have weaker motor abilities (Mostofsky et al., 2002).
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Arnstern, 2009
The biomarkers of interest for this post are noradrenaline, dopamine, and catecholamine. The PFC is dependent on the concentration of these three biochemicals, and in cases where certain receptors do not function properly, such as postsynaptic alpha-2A adrenoceptors and dopamine 1 receptors, PFC capacity may decline. These receptors can be properly treated by increasing the catecholamine stimulation in the brain, and indeed, that is what current medications aim to do.
Like in the case of antidepressants, once the source of the problem is identified, the solution is relatively straightforward. Nevertheless, finding the “proper fit” in terms of medication will unfortunately require some trial and error.