1. ADHD
(Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
Content
1.Definition and Symptoms
2.Effected parts of the nervous system
3.Functional impairments of the nervous system.
4.“Neurobiology for everyday life” helps my
everyday life!

2. Definition and Symptoms
Definition:
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is
the most common childhood brain disorders and can
continue through adolescence and adulthood. It is
exemplified by the following categories of symptoms:
1.Inattention
2.Hyperactivity
3.Impulsivity
DSM IV Criteria for ADHD‐

3. Definition and Symptoms
1. Inattention (6 or more of the following symptoms)
a. fails to give close attention to details
b. has difficulty sustaining attention in tasks
c. does not seem to listen when spoken to directly
d. does not follow through on instructions and fails to finish
e. schoolwork, etc.
f. difficulty organizing tasks and activities
g. avoids tasks that require sustained mental effort
h. loses things necessary for tasks or activities
i. easily distracted by extraneous stimuli
j. forgetful in daily activities
DSM IV Criteria for ADHD‐

4. Hyperactivity and impulsivity – 6 or more of the
following symptoms:
2. Hyperactivity
a. fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat
b. leaves seat in classroom when
remaining seated is expected
c. runs about or climbs excessively at inappropriate times
d. difficulty playing or engaging in leisure activities quietly
e. “on the go” or often acts as if “driven by a motor”
f. talks excessively
DSM IV Criteria for ADHD‐
Definition and Symptoms

5. 3. Impulsivity
g. blurts out answers before questions have been completed
h. has difficulty awaiting turn
i. interrupts or intrudes on others
DSM IV Criteria for ADHD‐
Definition and Symptoms

6. Effected Parts of the Brain
Areas of the brain involved
1. Orbital prefrontal cortex (PFC)
2. Basal Ganglia
3. Cerebellum
4. Anterior Cingulate Cortex
There is 3 10% reduction in regional volumes of these brain‐
regions in people with ADHD. The greater the reduction in
volume, the greater the severity of symptoms.
Rostain, AJ (2013). “Pay Attention!”, ADHD Through the Life Span, Univ. of
Pennsylvania. Coursera

7. Effected Parts of the Brain
1. Normal function of the Prefrontal Cortex (PFC)
a. Critical for regulating behavior, attention and affect.
b. Inhibits distraction, sustains attention over a delay and
divides attention.
c. PFC’s right hemisphere is important for behavioral
inhibition.
d. Posterior cortical areas are essential for perception and
allocating attentional resources.
Rostain, AJ (2013). “Pay Attention!”, ADHD Through the Life Span, Univ. of
Pennsylvania, Coursera

8. 2. Normal function of the Basal Ganglia
a. Involved in movement
b. Caudate and globus pallidus are dopamine receptor rich
areas.
3. Normal function of the Cerebellum
a. smaller cerebellar vermis
b. linked to dopamine receptor rich areas in the basal ganglia‐
and cortex.
Rostain, AJ (2013). “Pay Attention!”, ADHD Through the Life Span, Univ. of
Pennsylvania, Coursera
Effected Parts of the Brain

9. 4. Anterior Cingulate Cortex
a. Key part of the executive attention system
b. Has 2 divisions: cognitive and emotional
c. May help keep working memory on-line during
cognitive tasks and monitors for errors
d. Under activity in ADHD demonstrated in‐
numerous studies.
Rostain, AJ (2013). “Pay Attention!”, ADHD Through the Life Span, Univ. of
Pennsylvania. Coursera
Effected Parts of the Brain

10. Functions of neurotransmitters in effected regions of the
brain
1. Dopamine and dopamine circuits (fig. 1)
a. attention, pleasure, reward, motivation, mood and
anxiety
b. Modulates cortical and basal ganglia neural circuits
2. Norepinephrine and norepinephrine circuits (fig. 1)
a. alertness, mood and anxiety
b. Modulates dopamine circuits
Rostain, AJ (2013). “Pay Attention!”, ADHD Through the Life Span, Univ. of
Pennsylvania. Coursera
Functional Impairments

11. Functional Impairments
Neurochemistry in ADHD (fig. 1)
1. Dopamine dysregulation
2. Norepinephrine dysregulation
3. Evidence from
a. Actions of medications used to treat ADHD. These cause a/an
1) increase dopamine outside neuron
2) slowing re-uptake of dopamine & norepinephrine
3) increase production of dopamine & norepinephrine
b. Genes associated with ADHD regulate dopamine and
norepinephrine.
c. Studies of distribution of neurotransmitters in patients with ADHD.
4. Greater the dysregulation, more severe the symptoms
Rostain, AJ (2013). “Pay Attention!”, ADHD Through the Life Span, Univ. of Pennsylvania. Coursera

12. Posterior
Parietal
Cortex
Pulvinar Nuc.
of ThalamusAnterior
Cingulate
Cortex
Prefrontal
Cortex
Ventral
Tegmental
Area
Locus Ceruleus
Superior Colliculus
Anterior Attention System
Posterior Attention System
Dopamine neurons
Norepinephrine neurons
Rostain, AJ (2013). “Pay Attention!”, ADHD Through the Life
Span, Univ. of Pennsylvania, Coursera
Figure 1:Neurochemistry in ADHD

13. The effects of medications on regions of the
brain effected by ADHD (fig. 1)
1. Anterior attention system: prefrontal cortex, anterior
cingulate cortex and the ventral tegmental area
a. Enhances the effect of dopamine on effected regions of
the brain.
b. Improves attention by
1) Improving ability to focus
2) Enhances on-task behavior
3) Enhances on-task cognition
Rostain, AJ (2013). “Pay Attention!”, ADHD Through the Life Span, Univ. of
Pennsylvania. Coursera
Functional Impairments

14. 2. Posterior attention system: posterior parietal cortex,
superior colliculus, pulvinar nucleus of the
thalamus, and the locus ceruleus
a. Enhances the effect of norepinephrine in these areas
b. Dampens “noise” or distractions
c. Improves executive functions
d. Increases the ability to inhibit inappropriate behavior
Rostain, AJ (2013). “Pay Attention!”, ADHD Through the Life Span, Univ. of
Pennsylvania. Coursera
Functional Impairments

15. “Neurobiology for everyday life”
I have grown intellectually in this course in
several ways. I hope it is offered again.
1.Understanding the effects of stroke
a. Before:
1) symptoms of a stroke were simply right or left hemiplegia with a
contralateral facial droop.
2) Areas of the brain where speech is produced and understood
(Broca’s area and Wernike’s area).
3) Memory was divided simply into immediate and long term.
4) Amnesia was the inability to remember the past.

16. a. After:
1) Effects of a stroke often include
a. Effects on vision: loss right or left fields of vision
b. Effects on producing speech by damage to Broca’s area
c. Effects on understanding speech (receptive aphasia) by
damage to Wernike’s area.
2) Types of memory: working, implicit and explicit
3) Amnesia results in the inability to make new
memories and a slow regression to recall old ones
(beginning with the most recent memories progressing
to the most distant).
“Neurobiology for everyday life”