Allie Chazen

Ms. Juavinett
Biology
12 March 2015
What Abnormal Changes Happen In A Brain With ADHD?
Students diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have
trouble concentrating and controlling their behavior. ADHD affects students by
disabling their focus in their studies, which oftentimes prevents them from obtaining
the information they need to succeed in class. In addition, ADHD can discourage and
block a lot of skills that a student could do more readily if he or she did not have ADHD.
Knowing about a persons disorder is very helpful, for both the supporter and the
person who has the disorder. Therefore, this experiment will examine what abnormal
changes happen in a brain with ADHD in order to better understand the effects of
ADHD on individuals. ADHD does have its benefits though. People with ADHD put out
a lot of energy and excitement, which can boost others energy. I believe it is important
to do research on this topic because ADHD is something that, if not treated properly
and understood correctly, can be a hindrance to a students academic life. Therefore, we
need more people to be aware and educated of the effects of ADHD on students in
order for students to receive the support that they need.
ADHD is an imbalance of chemicals in the brain that create the inability for
individuals to remain focused on the task at hand and understand concepts the same
way as others do. Sometimes people with ADHD need a different learning style. One
example is with writing a three page paper. People with ADHD prefer organizers to
break down the information so it is less overwhelming. When the topic is broken down

it is an easy way to look at the assignment. For some people, just having the main
points or ideas is more helpful to start their paper, than if it was just one page of
directions. This format is in a way that can be understood by the person. ADHD is
everything of what ADD is it just has the hyperactivity with it. ADD is a disorder that
consists of an attention disorder. ADD could be a person who looks around and does
not seem so focused on what is being taught, and or can be so focused that they are not
aware of other things around them.
ADHD is presented in the frontal lobe. There is abnormal functioning in the
brain that has ADHD. There are two chemicals in the brain that send messages to the
areas that focus on attention and motivation. They are called Dopamine and
Norepinephrine. Dopamine and Norepinephrine are neurotransmitters that send
messages to certain areas in the brain to focus. People with ADHD can have less of the
chemicals which then results in having difficulty with concentration, and learning
overal\
There are multiple scans that can find abnormal activity in the brain. Children
can start getting tested for ADHD at age three. There are many causes of ADHD, some
are because of genes, environmental factors, brain injuries and more. These factors are
the reasons for what can create abnormal activity in the brain.
Genes can cause adhd. This is by the genetic polymorphisms. This is where a
variation of of DNA sequence. Another symptoms of ADHD/ADD can increase when a
person is in an environment where surrounded with distractions. One example, is a lot
of movement and talking. This creates a struggle to finish an activity. This can also
take double the time to complete the activity that a person is doing. Other
environmental factors are life distractions. The last example of a symptom of ADHD is

experiencing brain injuries before 10 years old. This is caused by the way the blow flow
and motions in the brain are processing.
We will use 10 humans that are healthy that have no experience with abusing
drugs, and alcohol. I feel experimenting an fMRI on a human will give us better/more
accurate results than experimenting on a mice, or another organism. The fMRI is a scan
that people do on the brain to find brain activity. A fMRI is called Functional Magnetic
Resonance Imaging. An fMRI measures the brain activity from the blood flow in the
brain from sound, visual image, gentle touching from the skin and more. This is to see if
there are any changes in the way the blood flows. Using a fMRI for patients with the
symptoms of ADHD, will show controlling impulses and difficulties with cognitive,
emotional responses. Experimenting on humans is useful because this procedure has
been experimented multiple times, and has been successful. Another experiment that I
was thinking of was experimenting with a placebo, and methylphenidate. With a
licence for handing out medications that are prescribed, to ADHD, but then also
experiment on having them take a placebo. This experiment will test if they do or don't
have ADHD/ADD.
The fMRI focuses its scanning on the corpus callosum, pons, frontal cortex, and
the cerebellum. This scanning will start off by finding a few people to accept a scan of
their brain. Be sure to ask questions to patients regarding the safety tips. You might
want to contact the doctors/specialist on what you should bring/take/leave home,
before the appointment. Its always nice to be a little early, just in case. You will also be
expected to be aware of the duration of the appointment so you can work your personal
life around the procedure. When getting in there you will have the option to using
earplugs, because of a expected banging noise (machine). You should create an alarm

signal with the technologist before you go in case you experience discomfort during the
procedure. Lastly, be aware that some MRI scans do require an injection (dye) if
needed, to show attention to the area that is being scanned. After the scan, you will have
the IV already out, and if you notice any side effects that sound familiar from what the
doctors said, be sure to contact the doctor for support/confirmation.
I feel having research is a great source to back up your ideas. I feel that research
is a a great way to agree with the internet about facts, and also have people comment on
your facts. Research is a way to find new information or old information about almost
any topic. Its helps the society to get more involved in groups, organizations, jobs, and
overall communication with one another. Having information about ADHD is so
helpful, because ADHD can be a part of a persons life, and you want to know how to
respond to it appropriately. If we didn't have research about ADHD this is what could
happen:
1) You wouldn't understand why a person is respond the way they are:
2) You wouldn't find help resources
3) Might be more confused, and more stressed out
4) Harder to manage life
5) The world would be so lost and confused
A lot of people use ADHD medication even if they are prescribed with it. This is
because of how good some medications can stimulate your brain, if you are tired, not
able to focus on the task that you are assigned. Selling drugs is illegal unless you have a
license to do so. And even with that you need to be aware of the disturbance that could
arise at any time.