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Science News About Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Image showing brain activation taken from Figure 1 from Norman LJ et al. “Subcortico-Cortical Dysconnectivity in ADHD: A Voxel-Wise Mega-Analysis Across Multiple Cohorts” (Am J Psychiatry; doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20230026). Copyright © 2024 American Psychiatric Association.
NIH Researchers Identify Brain Connections Associated With ADHD in Youth

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have discovered that symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are tied to atypical interactions between the brain’s frontal cortex and information processing centers deep in the brain.

Dressed in a white shirt and red tie, Josh Santana smiles with the Boston cityscape behind him.
The Ups and Downs of Bipolar Disorder

75th Anniversary

Josh Santana shares his story of growing up with ADHD and bipolar disorder.

Developing Rapid, Accurate Assessment of Mental Disorders, Suicide Risk in Youth
Developing Rapid, Accurate Assessment of Mental Disorders, Suicide Risk in Youth

For many adults who have a mental disorder, symptoms were present—but often not recognized or addressed—in childhood and adolescence. Early treatment can help prevent more severe, lasting impairment or disability as a child grows up.

Image showing differences in fMRI activation between children with and without anhedonia during reward anticipation.
NIH Study Reveals Differences in Brain Activity in Children with Anhedonia

Researchers have identified changes in brain connectivity and brain activity during rest and reward anticipation in children with anhedonia, a condition where people lose interest and pleasure in activities they used to enjoy.

a somber boy wearing a backwards baseball cap looks at the camera
Understanding the Brain Mechanisms of Irritability in Youth

Researchers have identified differences in how the brains of irritable youth react to frustration, findings that could provide new paths for developing treatments for children and adolescents with severe irritability.

MRI scan of infant's brain
Inflammation in Pregnant Moms Linked to Child’s Brain Development

High levels of maternal inflammation during pregnancy have been linked to effects in children, including reduced brain circuit communications and altered long-distance brain wiring at birth, poorer cognitive function at one year – and to reduced impulse control and working memory at two years.

hippocampus PET scan
Estrogen Alters Memory Circuit Function in Women with Gene Variant

Brain scans reveal that fluctuations in estrogen can trigger atypical functioning in a key brain memory circuit in women with a common version of a gene. Since working memory function is often disturbed in mental disorders, such gene-hormone interactions are suspect mechanisms that may confer risk.

photo of a white mouse against a white background
Distractible Mice Offer Clues to Attention Deficit

A recent NIMH-funded study sheds new light on how the brain’s processing of sensory information, a key impairment in autism and ADHD, can affect higher level cognitive functions, such as attention and decision making.