How ADHD Affects Common Brain Functions
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) doesn’t just make it hard to focus. In reality, brain scans show that those with ADHD have different brain structures than neurotypical people. Neural pathways in the prefrontal cortex and dopamine transporters can take longer to develop or show reduced activity. This means many of the brain’s functions can be affected by ADHD, which can change everything about how a person moves through the world. Understanding the complex ways ADHD changes how thoughts, emotions, and responses work in the mind is important for accurately treating both symptoms and their underlying causes.
Executive Functioning
Planning, making decisions, keeping track of your behaviors, and understanding different points of view are all regulated by executive function. The frontal lobe of your brain controls the ability to execute function. In people with ADHD, this part of the brain may develop more slowly and have less connectivity than those without ADHD. This means those with ADHD can struggle more with staying on task, completing goals, keeping a schedule, balancing different activities, and long-term planning.
Emotional Regulation
Researchers are beginning to understand more about the role emotional dysregulation plays in ADHD. Emotional regulation is the ability to control one’s emotional response without lashing out, feeling anxiety, or resorting to negative coping behaviors. Though it’s only listed in the DSM-5 as an “associated feature”, many people with ADHD struggle with emotional dysregulation. They often feel intense emotional reactions, mood swings, irritability, defiance, anger, sadness, or fear. This can be due to an underactive prefrontal cortex (where we do “higher-order” thinking) and an overactive amygdala (the part of the brain that triggers emotions). This can result in heightened sensitivity to criticism, frequent frustration with others, explosive reactions, and even a distrust of one’s emotions.
Working Memory
Working memory is the brain’s ability to hold and manipulate information over short periods. It’s an important component of executive functioning. Following instructions, solving problems, and intellectual multi-tasking (for example, mental math) all rely on working memory. The prefrontal cortex and parietal lobes, which are involved in working memory, often show reduced connectivity and function in those with ADHD. It can be harder for them to remember what they just heard or read, keep instructions in mind, or do multiple tasks at once.
Impulse Control
A big symptom of ADHD is struggling to think before acting, sometimes leading to inappropriate or harmful behaviors. People with may often interrupt others, be impatient, make rash decisions, and engage in risky behaviors that feel good in the short-term but are bad in the long run. The brain’s reward system, particularly the pathways involving dopamine, plays a key role in impulse control. The ADHD brain typically has dysregulated dopamine pathways and may have lower levels of dopamine than a neurotypical brain. This means a person with ADHD might focus more on short-term rewards and immediate gratification.
Getting Treatment
If you suspect you have ADHD, it’s important to get an accurate evaluation from a doctor before proceeding with treatment. Your doctor may use a variety of diagnostic criteria including a symptom assessment, behavior rating scales, and a medical history review to rule out other possible causes of your symptoms. Once you’ve been diagnosed with ADHD, you can talk about treatment options. These typically include medications (both stimulants and non-stimulants), lifestyle changes, and therapy. In therapy, you’ll learn to challenge negative thought processes and get your life more organized. You’ll be better able to cope with stressors, manage your time, and avoid impulsivity.
To find out more about how therapy can improve how your brain functions, please reach out to us.