ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER
Our brain is responsible for all the motor, cognitive, and mental functions we perform.
How does it happen?
The brain is a collection of nerve cells, called neurons. The neurons communicate with each other in the form of large communication networks and transmit messages in two forms: electricity and chemistry. The message goes from cell to cell and also reaches the organs and glands and makes us move, think, and feel.
The chemistry in the brain is carried out by chemical messengers called neurotransmitters that are unique to it.
Electricity is expressed in electric waves that have a varying frequency (how many times a minute they are active) and varying intensity (how many neurons are active at that moment). The electrical effect can be easily measured without interruption to the brain by a simple test called an EEG (Electroencephalogram).
It turns out that different functions of the brain require electrical activity at a different frequency. For example, when we are required to think and focus, the frequency should be relatively high (beta frequency), and when we daydream and allow the brain to “rest” the frequency should be lower (alpha). There is also a frequency for a pre-year, meditative state, where we assimilate information and engage in self-listening (theta).
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a disorder that describes a condition in which the main symptom is difficulty in paying attention and concentrating.
At this point we can already assume, just as in other situations, there will be an electrical and chemical expression in the brain.
You can read about the chemical expression in the article Dopamine and Neurofeedback on the website of “Excellent Brain”.
In terms of electrical expression, during concentration and attention, the brain mobilizes its neurons, in all relevant functions, to increase its frequency. So in a person who does not have ADHD, we see a lot of areas in the brain that are at a relatively high frequency (beta).
A person with ADHD finds it difficult to recruit his neurons to this frequency, and some or most of them remain at a lower frequency (alpha) and therefore are seen “running away” when daydreaming.
Fortunately, our brain is constantly recalculating pathways and learning to become more efficient when given the right tools. Because our brain is flexible, it can learn to change frequency. In the EEG, we see the frequency increase. However, even without testing, we see an expression of the electrical change in the brain in the symptoms. Suddenly the person manages to concentrate on the task and his functioning improves.
How can the brain be helped to change? Read the article on dopamine and neurofeedback.
