[Stephen V Farrone] Research has also focused on brain studies of ADHD subjects with the hope of a better understanding of the neurobehavioral disorders. Functional MRI images have revealed new information on the differences in the brain activation patterns among ADHD subjects and healthy people without the condition. The focus, which had thus far been restricted to the frontal lobe, has now been extended and researchers are actively studying other regions of the brain. One recent study showed that ADHD subjects not only exhibited underactivation in the prefrontal cortex but also in the parietal and the temporal cortex regions. Another study reported a distinct absence of activation of the anterior cingulate cortex region among ADHD subjects.

A recent Stanford university study has also concluded that ADHD patients showed lesser activation in the posterior parietal attention system when compared with control subjects. Using an odd ball task the researchers tested 12 healthy boys and 14 boys with ADHD. The test involved pressing two different buttons in response to two different images (circle and a triangle) showed on the screen. The results showed that control subjects fared much better than the ADHD subjects. Though there was no great difference in reaction time, functional MRI images showed that ADHD subjects exhibited very low activation of the bilateral association cortex, the right precuneus region and the thalamus regions of the brain when compared to the normal subjects. The researchers concluded that "[I]t is important to reconsider the notion of ADHD as primarily a disorder of the frontal-striatal function and consider the role of the parietal attention system in the behavioral phenotype of ADHD" [Aron Levin]

Conclusion

The significant psychosocial dysfunction accompanying ADHD has serious implications for children as their educational performance is considerably affected. Hence proper diagnosis and appropriate medical intervention is crucial. It is also important for parents to be sufficiently trained to handle children with ADHD. Most children show considerable improvement with the use of appropriate dosage of stimulants. Though pharmacological intervention is the mainstay treatment modality for the disorder behavioral therapy is also found...

In many cases symptoms continue well into adulthood and hence continuous monitoring and appropriate intervention is necessary. Psychological therapy has proved to be very effective in adults with residual symptoms. In general, a combination of drug therapy and behavioral therapy is optimal for the treatment of the disorder.
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