Causes of ADHD/ADD

A study published in the Journal of Rheumatology followed 20,000 from their birth in 1958 to present day and discovered that kids with several behavior issues had roughly twice the risk of chronic widespread pain (CWP) by the time they were 45 years old.

Researchers at UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain and M.I.N.D. Institute measured electrical rhythms from the brains of  children with ADHD and discovered that when the brain is emitting alpha rhythms, it shows that it is disengaged from the rest of the brain and not receiving or processing information at an optimal level. Children without ADHD did not demonstrate this disconnect.

The Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center conducted a study published on November 23, 2009 in Pediatrics estimating that up to 35% of children with ADHD, roughly 800,000 children are linked to environmental exposures.

"Tobacco and lead exposure each have their own important adverse effect," says Tanya Froehlich, M.D., the study's lead author. "But if children are exposed to both lead and prenatal tobacco, the combined effect is synergistic."

Korean scientists measured urine phthalate concentrations and evaluated symptoms of ADHD as reported by teachers and computerized tests.  The researchers found a significant association between phthalate exposure and ADHD, demonstrating the higher the urine phthalate concentration in the urine, the more severe the ADHD symptoms.

The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry found that low maternal folate levels is associated to the development of ADHD problems in children.  Folate is important to the development of a healthy nervous system in children and not getting enough in utero could cause attention and hyperactivity problems in children that become more noticeable between the ages of seven to nine years old.  In addition, not having enough folate in utero can cause a smaller head circumfurence at birth which may indicate a smaller rate of prenatal brain growth. 

A number of recent studies point to the increased incidence of neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease, in the United States.

In the past, studies have looked at lead concentrations in the blood, not in the bone.  However, a new study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Michigan School of Public Health analyzed the association between the amound of lead accumulated in bones and mortality.  It is known that most of the lead circulating within the body is stored in bone matter and remains there for years, however, lead remains in the blood for between 30-60 days.  This is important since adverse effects from lead, particularly on the cardiovascular system, show up ov

Six Cases of Childhool Lead Poisoning in Maine have been tracked back to lead dust on the children's car seats.  The car seats were not the source of the lead, it was lead dust tracked in from family members.  Homes of the family members were also checked for lead and their home environments demonstrated to be free of lead.  The EPA acceptable lead dust standard is less than 40 mcg/dl inside the home, however no lead standards for vehicles or child safety seats have been set.