The brains of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) do not mature at the same rate as their peers, a US study says.
Researchers looked at 450 children - half of whom had ADHD - and found an average delay of three years in the development of the cortex. This, the brain's outer mantle, is key for both attention and planning.
Researchers say the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences study may pave the way for new treatments.
The team from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) looked at when and where the brain reached peak "thickness", a marker of maturity.
Among the 223 youngsters with ADHD, half of 40,000 cortex sites examined reached peak thickness at 10.5, compared to age 7.5 in a matched group without the disorder. But the researchers did find that despite the delay, the brain does follow a normal pattern of development.
"Finding a normal pattern of cortex maturation, albeit delayed, in children with ADHD should be reassuring to families and could help to explain why many youth eventually seem to grow out of the disorder," said Philip Shaw, the lead researcher.
Finding out why
Future studies will now look into why the delay happens, and examine ways of boosting recovery.
However UK experts warned that the findings do not indicate that children with ADHD "catch up" after the three year delay, as the brains of children without the disorder will continue to advance.
"During these later stages of development the cortex of the brain gets thinner due to a process called pruning which occurs as the brain refines its connections and becomes more organized," said Dr David Coghill of the University of Dundee.
Showing posts with label ADHD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ADHD. Show all posts
Friday, November 30, 2007
Kids' TV can 'harm' children and hamper their development, study shows
WATCHING even an hour of popular children's television programmes such as Power Rangers or Scooby Doo can damage the intellectual development of children under the age of three, a study has shown.
Researchers say "violent" programmes targeted at children can double the chance of youngsters showing signs of attention deficit disorder.Dr Dimitri Christakis, associate professor of paediatrics at the University of Washington, said the first three years of a child's life involved critical brain development, specifically connections between neurons. Watching such programmes during this early period of brain "plasticity" meant children were being conditioned for a high level of stimulation which they were not going to get later in life.
With nearly a quarter of young children having a television in their bedroom, the latest findings will add to the debate about parents using the box as a "babysitter". This is the first time programme content has been investigated in such studies.
The research project found that popular shows such as Power Rangers, Lion King and Scooby Doo, involving fighting, hitting people, threats or other violence central to the plot, were shown to increase the signs of attention disorders.
But even "non-violent" entertainment such as Rugrats and The Flintstones carried a substantial risk of attention problems, but slighter lower.
Educational programmes such as Arthur, featuring the adventures of a well-adjusted anthropomorphic aardvark, or Barney the Dinosaur and Sesame Street had no adverse effects.
Source - Scotsman
Researchers say "violent" programmes targeted at children can double the chance of youngsters showing signs of attention deficit disorder.Dr Dimitri Christakis, associate professor of paediatrics at the University of Washington, said the first three years of a child's life involved critical brain development, specifically connections between neurons. Watching such programmes during this early period of brain "plasticity" meant children were being conditioned for a high level of stimulation which they were not going to get later in life.
With nearly a quarter of young children having a television in their bedroom, the latest findings will add to the debate about parents using the box as a "babysitter". This is the first time programme content has been investigated in such studies.
The research project found that popular shows such as Power Rangers, Lion King and Scooby Doo, involving fighting, hitting people, threats or other violence central to the plot, were shown to increase the signs of attention disorders.
But even "non-violent" entertainment such as Rugrats and The Flintstones carried a substantial risk of attention problems, but slighter lower.
Educational programmes such as Arthur, featuring the adventures of a well-adjusted anthropomorphic aardvark, or Barney the Dinosaur and Sesame Street had no adverse effects.
Source - Scotsman
Drugs for ADHD 'not the answer'
Treating children who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder with drugs is not effective in the long-term, research has shown.
A study obtained by the BBC's Panorama programme says drugs such as Ritalin and Concerta work no better than therapy after three years of treatment.
The findings by an influential US study also suggested long-term use of the drugs could stunt children's growth.
It said that the benefits of drugs had previously been exaggerated. The Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD has been monitoring the treatment of 600 children across the US since the 1990s.
'Exaggerated impact'
In 1999, it concluded that after one year medication worked better than behavioural therapy for ADHD. This finding influenced medical practice on both sides of the Atlantic, and prescription rates in the UK have since tripled.
The report's co-author, Professor William Pelham of the University of Buffalo, said: "I think that we exaggerated the beneficial impact of medication in the first study.
"We had thought that children medicated longer would have better outcomes. That didn't happen to be the case. The children had a substantial decrease in their rate of growth so they weren't growing as much as other kids both in terms of their height and in terms of their weight.
"And the second was that there were no beneficial effects -none."
Source - BBC
A study obtained by the BBC's Panorama programme says drugs such as Ritalin and Concerta work no better than therapy after three years of treatment.
The findings by an influential US study also suggested long-term use of the drugs could stunt children's growth.
It said that the benefits of drugs had previously been exaggerated. The Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD has been monitoring the treatment of 600 children across the US since the 1990s.
'Exaggerated impact'
In 1999, it concluded that after one year medication worked better than behavioural therapy for ADHD. This finding influenced medical practice on both sides of the Atlantic, and prescription rates in the UK have since tripled.
The report's co-author, Professor William Pelham of the University of Buffalo, said: "I think that we exaggerated the beneficial impact of medication in the first study.
"We had thought that children medicated longer would have better outcomes. That didn't happen to be the case. The children had a substantial decrease in their rate of growth so they weren't growing as much as other kids both in terms of their height and in terms of their weight.
"And the second was that there were no beneficial effects -none."
Source - BBC
Sunday, September 30, 2007
'My son's diet made him hyperactive'
Helen Buniak describes her son Lee as a "Jekyll and Hyde" character. "He'd be a lovely, good little boy most of the time, but then he would become suddenly very aggressive, with these massive tantrums."
For the first eight years of his life, she said, she had no idea of the reason behind it. Then she noticed a coincidence.
Lee had five "episodes" in close succession, and Helen, from London, realised that each one had followed the birthday of a classmate - which meant the handing out of sweets by parents at the school gate. "I realised that there was something in those sweets that was making him behave like that," she says.
Complete change
No-one had mentioned the possibility that food additives or ingredients might be to blame, and she turned to the Hyperactive Children's Support Group for health.
They recommended a diet which involved removing foods which included additives, then gradually reintroducing them.
"Lee had a normal diet, but there were so many things that had additives - meat pies and bacon as well as sweets, fizzy drinks and crisps."
The effect was immediate, she says.
Source - BBC
For the first eight years of his life, she said, she had no idea of the reason behind it. Then she noticed a coincidence.
Lee had five "episodes" in close succession, and Helen, from London, realised that each one had followed the birthday of a classmate - which meant the handing out of sweets by parents at the school gate. "I realised that there was something in those sweets that was making him behave like that," she says.
Complete change
No-one had mentioned the possibility that food additives or ingredients might be to blame, and she turned to the Hyperactive Children's Support Group for health.
They recommended a diet which involved removing foods which included additives, then gradually reintroducing them.
"Lee had a normal diet, but there were so many things that had additives - meat pies and bacon as well as sweets, fizzy drinks and crisps."
The effect was immediate, she says.
Source - BBC
Subtracting the additives
Parents and experts want food without additives to protect children’s health. So what will the manufacturers do?
The lemonade bottle had been squatting at the bottom of my fridge, supposedly on hand for an emergency Pimm’s. It shivered there for about four months, only a quarter of it drunk, before I decided to tip the contents down the sink (I prefer emergency Bellinis). That’s when I noticed the sell-by date: June 2008.
Without sodium benzoate, otherwise known as E211, my lemonade would have gone off more quickly, perhaps a couple of weeks after I purchased it in early 2007. In fact, I may not have been able to buy it at all.
“If we got rid of preservatives, we might not have the same range of products on the supermarket shelf,” says Christine Welberry, from the Food and Drink Federation, which represents manufacturers. “It might not be viable to manufacture a product and put it in the shops if it has only a few days before it goes off.
“Shelf life is a consumer convenience, as well as being part and parcel of the food chain. The consumer wants the product in her store cupboard for long enough to be useful to her. And all manufacturers make products based on consumer demand, so people obviously want to buy these products.”
Source - Times
The lemonade bottle had been squatting at the bottom of my fridge, supposedly on hand for an emergency Pimm’s. It shivered there for about four months, only a quarter of it drunk, before I decided to tip the contents down the sink (I prefer emergency Bellinis). That’s when I noticed the sell-by date: June 2008.
Without sodium benzoate, otherwise known as E211, my lemonade would have gone off more quickly, perhaps a couple of weeks after I purchased it in early 2007. In fact, I may not have been able to buy it at all.
“If we got rid of preservatives, we might not have the same range of products on the supermarket shelf,” says Christine Welberry, from the Food and Drink Federation, which represents manufacturers. “It might not be viable to manufacture a product and put it in the shops if it has only a few days before it goes off.
“Shelf life is a consumer convenience, as well as being part and parcel of the food chain. The consumer wants the product in her store cupboard for long enough to be useful to her. And all manufacturers make products based on consumer demand, so people obviously want to buy these products.”
Source - Times
Parents warned of additives link
Parents have been warned of the effects of food additives on their children's behaviour after new research found a possible link to hyperactivity.
A Food Standards Agency (FSA) study of 300 random children found they behaved impulsively and lost concentration after a drink containing additives. The FSA now says hyperactive children might benefit from fewer additives. But experts said drugs rather than diet changes could improve behaviour more effectively in the most severe cases.
Dr Andrew Wadge, the FSA's chief scientist, said: "We have revised our advice to consumers: if a child shows signs of hyperactivity or ADHD then eliminating the colours used in the... study from their diet might have some beneficial effects."
He did say though there were many factors associated with hyperactivity including genes, being born prematurely, environment and upbringing. The FAS has met representatives of the UK food industry to talk about the study's implications, but food safety campaigners say it has not gone far enough.
Emma Hockridge, of the Soil Association, said the FSA should be taking a leading role in addressing the issue by undertaking initiatives to prevent the development of hyperactive disorders, through new policies to limit food additives.
The Food Commission called on food manufacturers to voluntarily remove additives from their products.
A spokesman said: "These artificial colourings may brighten up processed foods and drinks but it appears they have the potential to play havoc with some children's behaviour."
Source - BBC
A Food Standards Agency (FSA) study of 300 random children found they behaved impulsively and lost concentration after a drink containing additives. The FSA now says hyperactive children might benefit from fewer additives. But experts said drugs rather than diet changes could improve behaviour more effectively in the most severe cases.
Dr Andrew Wadge, the FSA's chief scientist, said: "We have revised our advice to consumers: if a child shows signs of hyperactivity or ADHD then eliminating the colours used in the... study from their diet might have some beneficial effects."
He did say though there were many factors associated with hyperactivity including genes, being born prematurely, environment and upbringing. The FAS has met representatives of the UK food industry to talk about the study's implications, but food safety campaigners say it has not gone far enough.
Emma Hockridge, of the Soil Association, said the FSA should be taking a leading role in addressing the issue by undertaking initiatives to prevent the development of hyperactive disorders, through new policies to limit food additives.
The Food Commission called on food manufacturers to voluntarily remove additives from their products.
A spokesman said: "These artificial colourings may brighten up processed foods and drinks but it appears they have the potential to play havoc with some children's behaviour."
Source - BBC
Monday, April 30, 2007
Omega 3 'significantly' improves behaviour of hyperactive children
Omega-3 fish oil can help children suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, a study published today suggests.
Results from "the largest, clinical-based omega-3 and omega-6 trial of its kind" bolstered views that fatty acids relieve aspects of the condition.
The tests were undertaken by the University of South Australia and an Australian government research body.
They involved 132 children aged between seven and 12 with ADHD symptoms and the active fatty acid used was Equazen's eye q supplement.
For 15 weeks, during the first half of the test, children were split into three groups.
One took eye q, the second took eye q and a multi-vitamin/mineral supplement, while the third took placebo palm oil capsules.
All children were then given eye q and the multivitamins/minerals.
At the end of the 30-week-long trial, almost half of the children taking eye q for the whole study saw "significant" reductions in ADHD symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity, researchers said.
After the placebo group switched to the combined oil supplement for 15 weeks, they showed significant improvements in parent behaviour ratings and attention span.
Source - Daily Mail
Results from "the largest, clinical-based omega-3 and omega-6 trial of its kind" bolstered views that fatty acids relieve aspects of the condition.
The tests were undertaken by the University of South Australia and an Australian government research body.
They involved 132 children aged between seven and 12 with ADHD symptoms and the active fatty acid used was Equazen's eye q supplement.
For 15 weeks, during the first half of the test, children were split into three groups.
One took eye q, the second took eye q and a multi-vitamin/mineral supplement, while the third took placebo palm oil capsules.
All children were then given eye q and the multivitamins/minerals.
At the end of the 30-week-long trial, almost half of the children taking eye q for the whole study saw "significant" reductions in ADHD symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity, researchers said.
After the placebo group switched to the combined oil supplement for 15 weeks, they showed significant improvements in parent behaviour ratings and attention span.
Source - Daily Mail
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