VOLUME 13, NO.1
NJ
ADD/ADHD ADULT NEWSLETTER
ADD ADULT SELF HELP SUPPORT GROUP
FOR ADD/ADHD ADULTS
AND THEIR SIGNIFICANT OTHERS
MEETING: THE NEXT MEETING OF THE ADD ADULT SELF
HELP SUPPORT GROUP WILL BE ON JANUARY 22, 2009 AT 7:30 PM AT MONMOUTH MEDICAL
CENTER, LONG BRANCH, NJ. GO TO THE MAIN
RECEPTION DESK AND GET DIRECTIONS. THE TOPIC FOR THE MEETING WILL BE THE ROLE OF ADD/ADHD ON ATTACHMENTS
AND RELATIONSHIPS.
NEWSLETTER STATUS: THE
SUSPENSION OF THE NEWSLETTER FOR 2008 AND MUCH OF 2007 WAS DUE TO THE LOSS OF
FIRST ONE PARENT AND THEN THE OTHER.
BEING THE CO-EXECUTOR OF THE ESTATE, TAKING CARE OF A GRIEVING PARENT,
AND PROCESSING MY OWN GRIEF USED UP MUCH OF MY CREATIVE ENERGY. HOPEFULLY 2009 WILL BE A "WE CAN DO
IT" YEAR.
Meetings
for 2009 will be on the fourth Thursday of the month except November and
December when it is on the third Thursday.
We will not meet in July and August.
Any changes will be listed in this newsletter.
RESEARCH:
In a study by Philip Shaw, M.D. Ph.D. etal., Psychostimulant Treatment
and the Developing Cortex in ADHD, American Journal of Psychiatry,
2009, 166(1):58-63, it was reported that psychostimulant medications,
methylphenidate or amphetamine based, appeared to produce normalized cortical
development when compared to the ADHD group that was not medicated. Previous studies had shown that
psychostimulant medications slowed the growth as measured by height and weight
by very small but statistically significant amounts; here there is evidence of
the opposite effect in terms of cortical development. Previous studies had shown that in unmedicated ADHD there was significant reduction in the
volumes of many brain nuclei. These
studies have also shown along with this study that psychostimulant
medication may have what appears to be a protective effect again the
normal delayed and diminished brain growth associated with untreated ADHD.
Here are some
of the details of the study: There were
three groups all between the ages of 12-17 years; essentially an ADHD medicated,
ADHD unmedicated, and a control group with no
ADHD. The ADHD was the hyperactive/impulsive
combined type. The brains were each scanned
twice, usually around 12 and 16 years of age, and compared at 40,000 sites
using the fMRI imagery process. Some of the areas seen to have matured better
included the left dorsolateral prefrontal areas associated with working memory,
some premotor regions, and right posterior parieto-occipital regions.
COMMENTS: This study is a classic and may
change the way we think about ADHD medications.
It appears to suggest that neuroplasticity
(neuronal development) of the ADHD brain can be enhanced with psychostimulant
medications. The brain needs stimulation
to grow normally. Without proper
stimulation areas of our body degenerate, atrophy, and lose function. Infants deprived of stimulation, stroke
victims deprived of movement stimulation, and depressed patients deprived of
stimulation all appear to lose functions, sometimes permanently. Since several neurotransmitters appear to be
deficient in the ADHD brain unless medication is introduced, it is possible
that we may be depriving the developing brain by not medicating. We obviously need more studies to confirm
these findings. This finding does not
negate the treatment of ADHD by non-medication means. For example, mindfulness
meditation appears to enhance cortical development in some of these same areas.
Peace!!!
Bob
This newsletter is
available as an e-mail at www.DrLoPresti.com
. It is offered to readers only for
informational and educational purposes and does not constitute medical or
psychological advice; always consult your doctor.