Adhd, when distraction becomes a pathology – breaking latest news

Apart from its natural fluctuations, the attention of human beings can also undergo real disturbances, which manifest themselves when, for example, you can’t stay focused enough to do even a simple job. the case of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorderAdhd), che it often becomes evident already in childhood or adolescence to then continue, but which can also fully reveal itself only in adulthood. Pediatric cases that have clearer symptoms are also those more likely to continue later in life. Those suffering from this disorder, in addition to having difficulty concentrating, tends to be quite impulsive, has a hard time sitting still enough to be able to give continuity to what he is engaged in. Impulsivity can manifest itself for example through the tendency to end romantic relationships or friendships without warning, or to quit your job without having first taken the precaution of finding an alternative. These are demonstrations that also testify a low tolerance for adversity and frustration. In fact, several studies have shown that people with this disorder are more likely to be unemployed than the general population.

Emotional dysregulation

They can also be present memory impairment and deficit in the speed of execution of tasks. From this state sometimes derive both a poor performance in study or work activities, and a certain one emotional dysregulation. From the most evident symptom, the difficulty in staying focused on a specific task for a long time, derives a series of practical difficulties, such as the inability to organize what needs to be done and to put it in sequence by establishing priorities. It also happens that the work started is suspended and then forgotten and the deadlines and commitments made are lost. Even behind the wheel there is a tendency towards distraction, both in respecting rules and prohibitions, and in remaining focused enough to be able to face unexpected events. Attention deficit disorder quite common. According to recent studies, about four percent of adults in the most developed countries would suffer from it, while it would be less present, or perhaps just less detected, in developing countries. It can be associated with other psychic disorders, such as depression, anxiety, impaired impulse control, substance abuse. Some information is now available on what the neurobiological causes of this disorder might be. Fine mechanisms have been hypothesized, such as a defective functioning of several neuronal networks that normally support the maintenance of attention.

Genetic predisposition

Studies done with magnetic resonance or positron emission tomography have also shown some macroscopic anatomical alterations in those suffering from this disorder, how frontal and parietal cerebral cortices smaller than normal, or dysfunctional subcortical structures, such as the globus pallidus, caudate and putamen, which are part of the nervous circuits that regulate motor control, but also behavior. These latter alterations are typical above all of adolescent cases, while the alterations at the level of the cortex seem to persist even in adulthood. The disorder also has a genetic predisposition and in fact it is more frequent in families in which there are members who already suffer from it. The results of behavioral genetic investigations using family, twin and adoption studies converge with the results of molecular genetic studies in showing the influence of genes in attention deficit disorder — says Oscar Bukstein, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, author of the chapter on this disorder in UpToDatean important information database evidence based in medicine —. And we know that several genes are implicated in the causes of the disorder. So the underlying genetic defect is very complex, supported by different genes which, however, also need to interact with a series of environmental risk factors.