156 lines
5.3 KiB
Markdown
156 lines
5.3 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: "ADHD"
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date: 2022-03-27T11:00:00-06:00
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draft: true
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tags: [health, mental]
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---
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Notes from:
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<iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/4Ahg0IWnyDPpKwIrrogOis?utm_source=generator&t=1354233" width="100%" height="232" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture"></iframe>
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> Remember, all of us can improve our focus. The ability to focus is a skill that can and should be trained.
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## What is ADHD
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Used to be call ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) - first appeared in standard medical literature in 1904.
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Strong genetic component
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- If you have a relative with ADHD, you are much more likely to have it.
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- The closer the relative is related to you, the more likely you are to have it.
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- 1 Parent = 25%
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- 1 Fraternal twin = 75% etc
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ADHD has nothing to do with intelligence or IQ. ]
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Mid 80s started to rename ADD to ADHD - which has led to better diagnoses []
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1 in 10 children have ADHD (10-12%). 50% will resolve with proper treatment. []
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Increased levels of ADHD in adults recently. Smart phone use: email, text, social media pull attention in various directions at all times causing people to lose their ability to focus.
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### Symptoms and Phenotypes:
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- Lack of attention, focus, concentraion (intense laser focus on things that are enjoyable)
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Attention: perception, how we percieve the sensory world. Hearing soundwaves, feel sensations etc. You only pay attention to some of those at a time AKA paying attention to those and ignoring others.
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People with ADHD can also [Hyperfocus]() on things that they really enjoy. (ie kids playing video games for extended periods of time)
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Much of life involves focusing on things we don't enjoy.
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- Impulsivity
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Impulse conrol: Limiting our perception, ignoring some of our sensory inputs.
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- Poor time perception
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Often running late or procrastinate. If given a deadline (and consequences are severe enough) often they can be very good at this. Other times, they can underestimate the time it takes to achieve goals.
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Often have trouble sheduling activities to meet deadlines (ie finishing a set of tasks before lunch time, often not taking advantage of the time and obssessing about lunch)
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- Poor organizational skills
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Uses the [Pile system]() to organize things in physical space, basically piling things up in a way that only makes sense to them.
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- Poor working memory
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Working memory is the ability to keep specific info available for later use in the short term (ie someone tells you a series of items to order at a restaurant you may forget these before you ask the waiter).
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People with ADHD often have great longer term memories.
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> deficits in working memory is also a symptom of age related cognitive decline, and frontal lobe damage
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## Physiology
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Dopamine: (neromodulator - changes the way we percieve the world)
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Creates a heightened state of focus. State of motivation, [Exteroception]().
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Turns on areas that narrow visual and auditory focus.
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More = narrowing of focus, less = less focus
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Two neuro circuit networks/brain areas primarily involved with ADHD
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- [Default Mode Network]():
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Active when we're not doing anything, idling
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These areas should all be active together
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- Dorsal lateral prefontal cortex
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- Posterior singular cortex
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- lateral porietal lobe
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In an ADHD sufferer (or even someone lacking sleep) these areas do not coordinate together effectively
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- [Task Networks]():
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Goal oriented brain areas
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- Medial Prefontal cortex: shuts down impulsivity
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These two areas communicate with each other. Without ADHD, these areas are anti-correlated (one activates while the other shutsdown, out of phase).
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With ADHD, these areas are more coordinated/correlated.
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> ie guitar, bass, drums playing together in way that sounds terrible (no harmony).
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When someone w/ ADHD get's better, these brain circuits work better.
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Dopamine acts as a conductor between these networks.
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### Is Dopamine too low?
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[2015 Spencer, Biological Psychology Low Dopamine Hypothesis]() - If dopamine is too low, unnecessary neurons in the brain fire that are unrelated to attention.
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ADHD sufferers typically use stimulant drugs/chemicals to self medicate to increase dopamine (dopaminergic compounds):
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- caffeine:
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engages circuits directly that increase focus.
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- cocaine
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- amphetamines: Increased dopamine and norepinepherine and small bump in serotonin
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- [ritaline](): first generation drug for ADHD. Methylphenadate - (similar to [Speed]())
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- [adderal](): More commonly perscribed nowadays. Doesn't last in bloodstream as long.
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Combo of amphetamine and dextro amphetamine. 25% of college students and up to 35% of all people between
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17-30 are taking this on a regular basis to function in their life even though they are not diagnosed . This is higher than canabis consumption in this age group. [why is this the case recently?]()
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- [modafinil]():
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- cigarettes/vaping (nicotine):
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in children you commonly see:
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- preference for sugary foods and drinks
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- video games
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Consuming these will cause ADHD sufferers to acheive focus, people without ADHD just experience high energy (children lose their mins)
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Are the brain areas not working properly even if dopamine is sufficient?
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## How to improve
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## Studies and other sources
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