VOLUME 8, NO.12                                                                         December 18, 2003

 

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 DECEMBER 18, 2003 AT 7:30 PM AT MONMOUTH MEDICAL CENTER, ROOM 214 STANLEY, LONG BRANCH, NJ.  GO TO THE RECEPTION DESK IN THE MAIN LOBBY AND GET DIRECTIONS.  THE TOPIC WILL BE:  MANAGING THE HOLIDAYS ADD STYLE.

 

NEWS:  The Somerset County CHADD will be meeting in January at the Somerset Medical Center, Nursing Administration Conference Room at 7:30 PM the first and third Wednesdays of the month. For more information go to SomersetCHADD@aol.com

 

RESEARCH: In research by Anita Thapar, Ph.D. etal., Maternal Smoking During Pregnancy and ADHD Symptoms in Offspring, American Journal of Psychiatry, 2003, 160(11):1985-1989, it was reported that maternal smoking during pregnancy was highly associated with the development of ADHD in offspring when controls were in place for genes, birth weight, social adversity, rater bias and conduct disorder.

COMMENT:  Research literature has consistently shown an association between the pregnant mother’s smoking and ADHD in her offspring, but there were always questions about whether it was due to the mother’s genes, behaviors, or other factors.  This twin study showed that genes alone did not predict the extent of the ADHD in offspring.  The prenatal smoking effect was in addition to the predicted genetic effect on offspring ADHD.  The data are quite convincing and should be a clear warning to all women to cease smoking during pregnancy if they want their offspring to have less severe or less significant ADHD. 

 

RESEARCH: In a related research report S.Buka, Sc.D., Elevated Risk of Tobacco Dependence Among Offspring of Mothers Who Smoked During Pregnancy: a 30-Year Prospective Study, American Journal of Psychiatry, 2003,160 (11):1978-1984, it was found that if the mothers smoked more than a pack a day during pregnancy, there would be an increased risk of nicotine but not marijuana dependence in their offspring when they became adults at about 30 years of age.  The risk appeared to be highly significant.  The results were apparent regardless of the sex of the offspring.  Nicotine passes through the mother to the fetal brain where dopamine and acetylcholine neurons are developing.  Interestingly there were no differences in nicotine dependence between the offspring whose mothers smoked less than a pack a day, and those who never smoked. 

COMMENTS:                Confounding factors in this study were lack of information about second hand smoke, breast feeding behaviors, and genetic variables. 

 

RESEARCH: In the November 22^nd Lancet, UCLA neurologist Elizabeth Sowell reported that in her high resolution magnetic resonance imaging study of ADHD kids, there was an excessive density of neuron-rich gray matter in the posterior part of the brain of these children.

COMMENT: This is a fascinating finding.  Unfortunately, I do not have access to the original article.  But the decrease in white matter in this part of the ADHD brain is very exciting.  White matter in the brain is mostly composed of neuron sheaths made up of essential fatty acids such as EPA and DHA.  Maternal stores of EPA and DHA determine levels of fetal levels of these essential fatty acids.   Interesting???

 

This ADD Newsletter is available free as an email at www.DrLoPresti.com

 

                                Peace!!!           Bob