Kids with ADHD has Slower Brain Development, Findings Say
ADHD or Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is one of the many psychological and behavioral disorders in children and in adults in today’s society. However, this type of psychological or behavior disorder is most often observed and diagnosed in children. ADHD is a developmental disorder of self-control, and consists of problems with attention span, impulse control, and activity level. This disorder is evident in a child, as he or she reflects an impairment or capacity to control his or her own behavior relative to the passage of time, such as in keeping future goals and consequences in mind (2000). In addition, a child with this type of psychological disorder certainly has problems paying attention and staying on tasks, yet their inattentive behavior is often mysterious, puzzling, or baffling to parents, teachers, and even clinicians working with them (2006). A lot of studies have already been conducted in relation to understanding this type of psychological disorder in children, and because of this, this essay aims to discuss the significant findings, conclusions and procedure mentioned in a latest study in relation ADHD.
According to the article, “ADHD Kids’ Brain Areas Develop Slower” written in November 2007, the brain of the kids suffering from the psychological disorder ADHD develops slower compared to other children without the disorder. Researchers, led by Dr. of the National Institute of Mental Health reported the findings in the online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. They have come up with their findings through using brain-imaging research. Within the past two decades, human brain imaging techniques have revolutionized the field of psychiatric and neurological research, allowing us to visualize both the structure and the function of living human brains (2005). Through its use, the brains of children with ADHD, and other psychological disorders for that matter would be thoroughly examined. It has been reported that the ADHD brain is distinctly different from the brains of those who do not have the disorder. Various brain imaging techniques, such as computerized tomography (CT), positron-emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and Single Photon Emission Computerized Tomography (SPECT) allow one to see how brain function and structure is altered in ADHD ( 2005).
The findings of the recent study indicate and suggest that through the brain-imaging research, the brains of children or youngsters having ADHD, show lags, which can be as much as three years. Such lags feature delay in the development of its certain areas, including the suppression of inappropriate actions and thoughts, focusing attention, remembering events, working for reward, and controlling movement. In addition, findings of the research using the brain-imaging research and brain scans indicate that the cortex of children suffering from ADHD and children who are free from it varies in thickness. It has been reported that brain scans were compared at 40,000 points in the brains of 223 children with ADHD and 223 others who were developing in a normal way. Brain scans were repeated several times at three-year intervals. Results of the brain scans indicate that in both groups, the back and top sides of the brain, which are associated with sensory processing and motor control developed in earlier stages, while the front of the brain, which is associated with higher-order executive control developed in much later years. This shows that brain development in children with ADHD is delayed in higher-order functions and in areas coordinating such functions to the motor areas. Because the more advanced development in the brain areas of children with ADHD include the top and back of the brain, which are related to the motor and sensory functions, this explains the hyperactivity and elation being observed among children having this type of psychological disorder. Previous study of the disorder using brain-imaging studies focused on the size of the lobes of the brain, which somehow disregarded the developmental lag of the brains of the children. The findings of the researchers are being supported by and (2005), as they suggest that results on both men and women show similar areas of the brain are involved, wherein in persons with ADHD, the prefrontal cortex is affected, being one’s key to the capacity to inhibit unwanted impulses and thoughts. In this regard, when the brain of a child with ADHD tries to concentrate, the activity of the prefrontal cortex in the right hemisphere decreases, thus, showing the opposite of what happens in the non-ADHD brain ( 2005). In this sense, the findings of the researchers in the article is consistent with the other findings of other authors, who have also used brain-imaging and scanning in order to diagnose children with this type of psychological disorder.
Based on the findings, the researchers have also come up with a significant conclusion. The researchers have concluded that brain imaging is not entirely a successful tool in determining ADHD among children. Although its use can determine the delay in cortex development among children, such observation could only be detected using a very large number of participants. In this regard, the use of brain-imaging techniques would not be effective if only one participant would be studied and used in experiments. In addition, the diagnosis that a child has ADHD does not involve single brain-imaging examinations, but a series of them. Diagnosis also involves taking a history of the child from his or her family and teachers. In this sense, the diagnosis and study of a child suspected to have this type of psychological disorder involves a tedious and time-consuming task. The essence of the long wait and examination is that one has to be able to study the parts of the brain that are significant in the development of the disorder of the child, such as the front and side of the brain, which are associated with higher-order functions. In this regard, this study serves to be an important milestone for the study of ADHD, most especially in the diagnosis and treatment of children with this type of psychological disorder.
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