Word: adhd
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...unused neural connections go the way of football fans' empty beer cups. Thanks to nifty imaging techniques, the point at which the cortex reaches peak thickness is now recognized as an early milestone in brain maturation. But in a surprising new study, kids with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)--which affects 3% to 5% of school-age children--hit peak thickness in some regions an average of three years later than other kids. And the developmental lags are most pronounced in the part of the cortex that supports attention and planning...
...findings, published online this month in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, may help explain why many children diagnosed with ADHD eventually grow out of it, as their brains slowly become more similar to those of their peers. The study will continue to track hundreds of adolescents to see if any of the ADHD kids ever fully catch up. More research is also needed to determine why half the kids with the disorder still have it as adults...
Though the new study may eventually help scientists identify why ADHD causes the brain to develop slower and how kids can get better sooner, Shaw says it won't help doctors diagnose the disorder today. ADHD diagnoses still have to made through clinical evaluations, and for now, treatment still means the widely used psycho-stimulant drugs, like Ritalin, and behavioral therapy...
...doctors continue learning about the ADHD brain, however, more and more alternative treatments, such as attention training and psychotherapy, are gaining traction. Research shows that the brain is not static - that it can physically change with experience. Studies reveal that the brains of some piano players, for instance, are more developed in the areas responsible for finger movement, while in the brains of people who have practiced meditation long-term, the attention centers are physically larger than average...
...ability to pay better attention is one of those things that people can consciously and physically improve in themselves, says Dr. Lidia Zylowska, who heads a program for ADHD patients at the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center. Zylowska's early research in meditation - one technique within the larger practice of mindful awareness - suggests that it can improve older ADHD patients' ability to stay focused. The practice may also work for kids. "We always think that our brain makes our mind, but it may work the other way," says Zylowska. "You can have an impact on your biology...