Schizophrenia Daily News Blog

Brain Imaging, Schizophrenia, & ADHD

A WINDOW TO THE BRAIN;IMAGING STUDIES SUGGEST A PHYSIOLOGICAL BASIS FOR ATTENTION DEFICIT /HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER

Despite focusing on ADHD, this news story has relevance to schizophrenia: Recently, "imaging technology has allowed scientists to see that brain structure and brain activity in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder are markedly different than in non-afflicted children." Though this may seem irrelevant to schizophrenia, consider what Michael Steves, "a researcher at the Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center at Hartford Hospital's Institute of Living," had to say: "People don't believe in things until they see a picture." Consider the positive implications brain imaging technology might have for some of the possible biases associated with schizophrenia and other mental disorders; such technology may be able to further demonstrate that disorders like schizophrenia aren't under the afflicted person's control.

Still, brain imaging technology hasn't yet been perfected. Researchers are still asking questions like: "...Why do symptoms of ADHD moderate as patients age? Are there similarities between ADHD and mental illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia?"

"Stevens hopes the imaging studies (...) will identify similarities between ADHD patients and people with other mental disorders, such as schizophrenia." Identifying such similarities will undoubtly shed more light on ADHD, schizophrenia, and various other mental disorders.

Information provided by Hartford Courant (Connecticut):
http://www.courant.com/

To read the full story:
http://tinyurl.com/7mj5f

For more information about ADHD:
http://www.chadd.org/