ADHD Study Finds Slower Development of Key Connections

In a recent study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from the University of Michigan’s department of psychiatry found that kids and teens with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) lag behind others of the same age in how quickly their brains form connections within, and between, key brain networks. This results in less mature brain connections between a brain network that controls internally-directed thought (such as daydreaming) and networks that allow a person to focus on externally-directed tasks. The lag in connection development may help explain why people with ADHD get easily distracted or struggle to stay focused. Additionally, the new findings — and the methods used to make them — may one day allow doctors to use brain scans to diagnose ADHD. This kind of neuroimaging biomarker doesn’t yet exist for ADHD, or any other psychiatric condition. During the study, the scans showed brain activity during a resting state. This allowed researchers to see how a number of different brain networks, each specialized for certain types of functions, were “talking” within and amongst themselves. The researchers found lags in development of connection within the internally-focused network, called the default mode network (DMN), and in development of connections between DMN and two networks that process externally-focused tasks. To read more about this study, click here.