Research on ADHD Reveals Hidden Truths

Did you know that research on ADHD has helped throw light on a lot of issues related to the disease that were previously unknown? Did you know that research on ADHD has helped prove that ADHD is most commonly hereditary? These and many more hidden truths about ADHD are today known to us, thanks to the extensive research being done on the subject. If you want to know more such interesting facts that are found from research on ADHD, read this article and clarify all your queries.

Research on ADHD is important for a number of reasons. First and foremost, it is necessary because most parents sadly are still ignorant about the disease. As a result, they administer harsh pharmaceutical drugs to their children, and sometimes even children who don't have ADHD gets medicated. It is important for everyone to know that any child who shows the symptoms of ADHD, like restlessness, lack of concentration etc, isn't always ADHD affected. Research on ADHD has proved that diagnosing ADHD is very challenging. Only very little can be understood just by conducting a few medical tests and to make an exact analysis, parents, teachers and friends of the child need to be interviewed. And medicines should be administered only when it is conformed that the child has the disease.

Research on ADHD has also shown that the ADHD medications that are commonly used in battling the disease are in reality, extremely harmful. The child suffers from a number of side-effects like headache, vomiting, high blood pressure, increased heart beat and weakness to depression, heart attack, psychological disorders in future and may even lead to death. Therefore the medicines should be administered with great care and moreover the usage should be limited.

But, there are some wonderful 100% safe, natural ADHD treatments available that can show even better results than any modern prescription medications, while at the same time instilling lots of positive effects on the overall health and brain functioning. As a responsible parent, you must opt for these natural medications. Natural cures like homeopathy are gaining a lot of popularity nowadays, as they do not use harmful chemicals to treat your child. The medicines are made from 100% natural ingredients that are very effective on the disease and yet extremely mild on the body. They have no side-effects and also ensure that your child recovers completely while being free of health risks.

So if you are looking for a safe and reliable remedy for your child, you must try out these natural ADHD remedies. It is important to check the disease, because research on ADHD has shown that children who do not get treated properly are usually found to be turning to criminal activities in their adulthood. Thus, proper diagnosis and treatment of ADHD becomes absolutely mandatory.

The natural ADHD treatments are safe, reliable and also easily available. Therefore, you need not put your child through the grueling physical discomforts that the prescription drugs put them through. Research on ADHD has shown that these medicines are not only equally effective and help your child recover quickly but also rejuvenates and nourishes the brain cells. This is one of the many benefits that only the natural ADHD treatments can offer.

Want to know the best available natural ADHD medicine? Dr. Spencer Jones is a medical doctor who has done a lot of research on ADHD. Read more about his findings on the safest and the most effective ADHD natural treatments at - http://www.ADHD-Natural-Treatments.com

Mouse model reveals a cause of ADHD

ScienceDaily (Mar. 11, 2010) ? Although it's typically considered an adolescent curse, ADHD actually affects about five percent of adults as well. New research in a mouse model of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder suggests that the root of the psychiatric disorder might be the over-activity of a protein that regulates dopaminergic pathways. The work suggests a path toward new treatments for symptoms including inattentiveness, over-activity and impulsivity.

The cause of ADHD is unknown, but there is increasing evidence that dopamine, a neurotransmitter involved in the brain's reward-motivation system, is involved. Scientists have found that the level of dopamine, and the D2 receptor it binds to, are involved in the progression of ADHD, as well as four connected regions in the frontal region of the brain, two of which are directly linked to reward and motivation.

The Rockefeller University researchers, led by Marc Flajolet, a senior research associate, and Paul Greengard, Vincent Astor Professor and head of the Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, focused on an enzyme called casein kinase I (CK1), which is involved in regulating the dopamine signaling pathway. The work was published in January in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Flajolet and coauthor Ming-Ming Zhou, a research associate in the lab, created a line of mice genetically modified to overexpress a form of CK1, called CK1δ, specifically in the forebrain of the mouse. Under normal conditions and in response to stimulation by drugs such as the ones used today to treat ADHD, the mice that overexpress CK1δ show behavioral symptoms and responses to drugs similar to those observed in people with ADHD.

"The genetically modified mice that we generated present interesting features such as hyperactivity and altered nesting capacities that might be related to attention deficit, and possibly altered impulsivity," says Flajolet.

To test the nesting capacities, the mice were kept overnight, singly housed in an open field arena, with pressed cotton nesting material. After 24 hours, the scientists compared the overall quality of the nests and the amount of material, if any, that each mouse used to build its nest. The normal mice tore up the pressed cotton and slept in the nests, while the CK1δ-overexpressing mice barely touched the cotton material.

The researchers also found that the CK1δ-overexpressing mice became less hyper in response to amphetamine and methylphenidate (Ritalin) in a way similar to that of ADHD patients. Finally, biochemical studies by Postdoctoral Associate Heike Rebholz showed that both classes of dopamine receptors, D1R and D2R, are significantly reduced in the CK1δ-overexpressing mice, further evidence that the dopaminergic system is severely affected.

"We believe that overexpression of CK1δ induces some developmental steps that resemble what might be happening in ADHD patients and therefore we propose that the CK1δ-overexpressing mice are a model for this disorder," says Flajolet. "It will be interesting to investigate if CK1 could be the origin of developmental defects in humans that lead to ADHD."

Editor's Note: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Rockefeller University.

Journal Reference:

Zhou et al. Forebrain overexpression of CK1δ leads to down-regulation of dopamine receptors and altered locomotor activity reminiscent of ADHD. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2010; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0915173107

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

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