ADHD Involves Disturbed Reward Brain Circuitry

There are a number of brain-related issues involved with the attention deficit problem.  New research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that one of the problems is a lack of dopamine¹.  Dopamine is needed for motivation and a sense of reward for attaining something.  Dopamine is behind “brain drive” that engages a person consistently towards a goal.

Researchers used advanced brain imaging on controls and people with ADHD to determine the difference in brain function. 

Low dopamine is also associated with obesity risk and addiction risk.  The primary cause behind low dopamine is inflammatory excitotoxic brain damage – which by definition means that highly stimulant ADHD drugs which are excitotoxic will over time add to the ADHD problem rather than help it.  A child who is overweight and ADHD has major problems in this area and is at high risk for teenage and young adult sleep problems and drug addiction.