From the National Institute of Mental Health.

The severity of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in youth appears to be reflected in their brain structure, recent NIMH-supported brain imaging studies are finding. In one study, researchers found that the front part of the brain's memory hub, the hippocampus, tended to be enlarged in ADHD, particularly in children with fewer symptoms. They suggest that such changes might develop as a compensatory response that helps the child cope with the impatience and stimulus-seeking problems of the disorder.

The researchers also found that parts of an emotion-processing hub, the amygdala, were smaller in children with the disorder. The diminished size had a significant and positive correlation with severity of ADHD symptoms. In those with the disorder, researchers also observed poor connections between the amygdala and the pre-frontal cortex, which could contribute to problems with impulse control and goal-directed behaviors.

Drs. Kerstin Plessen and Bradley Peterson (Columbia University; New York State Psychiatric Institute; University of Bergen, Norway; and Pennsylvania State University) and colleagues used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to scan 51 children and adolescents with ADHD and 63 healthy peers in the study, reported in the July 3, 2006, issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Last summer Shire Pharmaceuticals came out with their new version of methylphenidate, called DAYTRANA. It is the first and only transdermal medication approved to treat the symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

DAYTRANA is methylphenidate (generic name for Ritalin) in a patch, which makes it a very convenient delivery system (one a day dosing).

The response from parents has been mixed.

Parents, and patients, like the convenience of a patch. And they also like the fact that children don’t have to swallow a pill. However, the patch can cause side-effects. Skin rashes, sleeplessness, stomach aches and motion sickness are commonly cited. Some parents also complain that they have to fight with their kids to put the patches on, and it leaves a “goo” after taken off.

Imagine a world where your brain is always a bit "foggy," and you do or say things before you really consider whether you should or not. In this world you pay attention to everything, but not enough to the thing you are supposed to pay attention to. In this world everything distracts you, unless you are interested in it. Then you are so focused that you cannot tear yourself away from it.

Imagine the world of ADHD, haunting about 5% of all kids in the US.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a medical condition. It is caused by genetic factors that result in certain neurological differences. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder comes in various forms, and there are five or six different types of ADHD.

In the DSM-IV Diagnostic manual, each of these forms, or "types" of ADHD falls under the diagnostic category of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

The main category is then subdivided into ADHD Inattentive Type, or ADHD Impulsive-Hyperactive Type, or ADHD Combined Type. In the recent past, the terms attention deficit disorder "with" or "without" hyperactivity were also commonly used. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder comes in various forms, and truly, no two ADHD kids are exactly alike.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder might affect one, two, or several areas of the brain, resulting in several different "styles" or "profiles" of children (and adults) with ADHD. See http://www.newideas.net/add_types.htm for a good description of the different types of ADHD.