ADHD & How Anyone Can Improve Their Focus
Key Takeaways
Attention deficit disorder (ADD) is now called Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) when it became clear there was a hyperactive component
Despite the stereotype, people with ADHD can be hyper-focused but only focus attention on things of interest
Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that underlies enjoyment and curiosity – most ADHD pharmaceuticals are stimulants with a play on the dopamine system
There’s a fine line between street drugs and therapeutics for ADHD: Ritalin is closely related to speed; Adderall closely resembles methamphetamine
Non-pharmaceutical and behavioral treatments for ADHD may be used in combination with pharmaceuticals with the potential to wean off as possible
While research for elimination diets has been controversial as a treatment for ADHD, it seems like avoiding simple sugars and exploring allergies to make informed food choices is worthwhile
Newer studies point to the idea that smartphone use is inducing ADHD in adolescence if used more than 60 minutes per day, and approximately 120 minutes per day in adults
What Is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)?
ADHD used to be called attention deficit disorder (ADD) but this was changed in the 1980s when it became clear there was a hyperactive component
ADHD has a strong genetic component – the probability of AHDH increases the closer in genetics you are related to someone with ADHD
ADHD has nothing to do with intelligence
An estimated 1 in 10 children have ADHD – half will resolve with proper treatment, the other half will not
There’s a question as to whether ADHD is increasing in adults or whether our lifestyles are creating pulls on our attention e.g., phone use, email, social media, etc.
Some markers of ADHD: trouble holding attention, high levels of impulsivity, often high levels of emotionality, challenges with time perception unless given a deadline with consequences, subpar spatial organization, working memory (ability to keep information at the ready to use)
Some people outgrow ADHD over time
Focus & ADHD
Most people with ADHD can have high levels of focus on things they enjoy
People with ADHD have the capacity to focus but can’t engage attention on things they don’t really want to do
Enjoyment and curiosity are the way we describe our experience with things
From a neurobiological perspective, dopamine underlies enjoyment and curiosity which creates a hyper-focus and state of motivation
Dopamine release turns on areas that narrow visual and auditory focus
Dopamine in the context of focus tends to enhance two neural circuits: (1) default mode network (brain areas active when we’re idle); (2) task networks (networks of the brain that make you goal-oriented)
In someone with ADHD or who hasn’t slept well, the default mode network is not synchronized
Typically, default mode networks and task networks work in opposition under the orchestration of dopamine – in ADHD, these networks are more correlated
With treatment or age out of ADHD, default networks and task networks work in opposition again
Dopamine System In People With ADHD
Low dopamine hypothesis: dopamine levels are insufficient in people with ADHD which leads to unnecessary firing of neurons unrelated to the task at hand
The low dopamine hypothesis could be why people with ADHD lean on recreational drugs or indulge in non-drug stimulants (i.e., coffee, cigarettes) which increase dopamine in the brain that regulate attention
Children with ADHD favor sugary foods; adults with ADHD favor stimulants – drug or non-drug
How To Improve Focus
Adults and children with ADHD have many more “attentional blinks” than those without – there’s a tendency to be over-focused on one thing to the extent that you miss the things around it
Attentional blinks occur more frequently as we age, with or without ADHD
Distractibility in people with ADHD could exist because they are so hyper-focused on one thing, they miss other things
Tips: (1) practice consciously dilating gaze to see more around you; (2) 17-minute mediation session can rewire internal circuitry; (3) blink eyes to reset perception of time – the rate of blinking is controlled by dopamine; (4) fidget spinner/toy
Dopamine controls attention – blinking is controlled by dopamine – blinking can help you modulate perception of time – blinking and dopamine are inextricably linked and within your control
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) can increase dopamine and level of calm so induce a mellow focus; THC can also change the rate of eye blinking – but it reduces memory so you might focus better but can’t remember what you’re focusing on
Book: Altered Traits by Daniel Goleman
Pharmaceutical Treatments Of ADHD
Many of the pharmaceuticals used to treat ADHD are also used to treat narcolepsy
Ritalin is one of the first drugs created to treat ADD/ADHD to address low levels of dopamine
Pharmaceuticals for ADHD closely resemble street drugs: Ritalin is closely related to speed; Adderall closely resembles methamphetamine
Adderall – a combination of amphetamine and dextroamphetamine – is now the more commonly prescribed drug for ADHD, also increases dopamine
Treatments of ADHD are stimulants that increase dopamine, norepinephrine, adrenaline
Consumption of Adderall without prescription is higher than cannabis use: upwards of 25% of people under 30 take Adderall without a clinical diagnosisto improve focus and keep up with work
If you are a child taking stimulants with ADHD, the brain networks activate at the appropriate times and chemically induces a state of focus, so the child learns what focus is
Doses should be adjusted across the lifespan with age
Early treatment if key: neuroplasticity is greatest in early childhood (3-5 years old) and tapers off after age 25
Non-Pharmaceutical Treatments For ADHD
Traditional ADHD pharmaceuticals work by increasing levels of dopamine and norepinephrine
It’s a fine line between thinking about drugs of abuse and drugs for the treatment
Best treatments are likely to combine traditional drugs (i.e., Adderall) with behavioral tools to train circuits you are trying to enhance – then possibly tapering off drugs
Omega-3 can positively modulate pathways for attention and focus
Dose: above 300mg per day of DHA for attentional effects
Phosphatidylserine at 200mg per day in children can support improvements in ADHD symptoms in combination with traditional drugs
Modafinil or armodafinil: weak dopamine reuptake inhibitors
Alpha-GPC: drugs that increase cholinergic or acetylcholine transmission will increase focus or cognition
L-tyrosine: leads to an increase in dopamine and can improve focus but dosing is difficult to dial in
PEA: dopamine stimulating supplement – again, can be difficult to get the dose right
Racetams: tap into the cholinergic system with high affinity and taps into increased cognitive capacity
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS): a non-invasive tool that places magnetic stimulation to the brain to lower or increase activity in certain parts of the brain – but precision is not particularly fine
To read more: Review of atypical compounds for ADHD
Food, Nutrition, And Attention
People with ADHD are naturally drawn to sugary foods which increase dopamine and can induce some focus
Elimination diets (oligoantigenic) have been studied in children with ADHD but have been controversial
Potential things to avoid universally: avoid simple sugars, explore allergies to foods and avoid
In adults: omega-3s (high in EPAs) have modest effects on improving focus but do allow the person to function better on lower doses of medicine
EPAs don’t mediate attention and mood but modulate relationship with dopamine