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What Causes ADHD

A certain single cause does not seem to apply to everyone who suffers from ADHD. Viruses, detrimental chemicals in the environment, genetics, along with issues that take place during pregnancy, or anything that blights brain development can be related to being the cause of ADHD.

Some of the possibilities that are said to be risk factors and causes of ADHD are:

Structure and Activity of the Brain as a Cause of ADHD

Studies show that certain areas of the brain of people who suffer from ADHD have less activity and blood flow and that particular structures of the brain are a bit small. These areas are the ones that help restrain behavior, uphold attention, and control mood such as prefrontal cortex, the basal ganglia, and the cerebellum.

Another link has been created between a person's capacity to pay sustained attention and the level of activity in the brain. The focus here is on the level of glucose used by the areas of the brain that hold back impulses and direct attention. It has been found that people who suffer from ADHD, the areas of their brain that control attention uses less glucose, demonstrating that these areas were not much active, which shows that lower levels of activity in particular parts of the brain causes inattention.

Brain Chemistry as a Cause of ADHD

There is evidence that neurotransmitters play a great role in ADHD-type behaviors. The neurotransmitter which has been greatly linked with ADHD is called dopamine. Due to malfunction of the neurotransmitters, the brain systems function inadequately. ADHD problems related here are inattentiveness, hyperactivity, impulsivity etc.

Genetic Factors as a Cause of ADHD

It has been proved that ADHD tends to run in families. At least one close relative of children suffering from ADHD must previously have been diagnosed with ADHD. Identical twins also tend to share traits of ADHD.

Problems Surrounding pregnancy & toxins as a cause of ADHD

The brain constantly develops throughout pregnancy and the first year of life. Studies have helped people in understanding the workings of the brain when the nerve cells are connected properly or imperfectly. Here the main focus is on what might be preventing nerve cells from forming the appropriate connections. Main factors here include drug use during pregnancy, smoking and alcohol.

Smoking during pregnancy, along with alcohol or other drugs effects the development of the brain in a child, which leads to intellectual mutilation. Normal development of brain receptors is affected by drugs, and this damage usually causes ADHD.

Toxins present in the environment are also said to disturb brain development or brain processes, leading to ADHD. Lead is one such potential pollutant, but not a great number of cases have been found related to this probability.