In this article, researchers unite together to obtain a better understanding of ADHD and where it affects areas of the human brain. Over 80 researchers joined together in this study led by Martine Hoogman who studied 1,713 people with ADHD and 1,529 others without it. Their research concluded that changes occurred in five different areas of the brain including: amygdala, caudate, putamen, accumbens, and hippocampus. These findings help the researchers understand the disorder more clearly because all of these areas play a key role in attention. In addition, the team concluded that damage to early brain development explains the differences in the sizes of these regions to those who have the disorder and to those who do not. The results from this test explain the symptoms of the disorder by pinpointing the areas that are different from people who do not have ADHD.
Researcher Jeffrey Halperin studies ADHD at Queens College in New York City. He praised the study for recruiting so many participants but stated, “Still, its findings won’t change the way that clinics treat people with ADHD today.” I think Halperin has a point. It must have been a very costly project to use MRI scannings for more than 3,000 people and it did not suggest a treatment, rather, just areas in the brain that are affected. However, I do believe this study helps people understand how to deal with the emotions that are attached to the disorder and people can learn how to deal with them better. I think that for the results yielded, it could have been done at a much smaller scale with less expenses.
Sachan, Dinsa. "Study Links ADHD To Five Brain Areas." Science News for Students. Society for Science and the Public, 05 Apr. 2017. Web. 14 June 2017. https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/study-links-adhd-five-brain-areas
This was really interesting! While the study you described does not actually offer any possible treatments for ADHD, it definitely provides more insight and information. I think that as more and more information is collected about ADHD, new treatment ideas will eventually emerge. I think that this research is going to help lead the way to new treatments for ADHD because it gives information about the emotions that are attached to the disorder.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Maia. I think that the project was really cool to gain more insight on where ADHD stems from in the brain. I also agree with the idea that the project could have been conducted in a way that cost less money. I hope that in time, researchers will discover and benefit from new discoveries and studies to perhaps lead to new and successful treatments.
ReplyDeleteThis is very interesting to me as I have a little bit of ADD. Who knows, maybe those parts of my brain are affected.
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