{"id":108526,"date":"2023-07-19T10:26:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-19T14:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=108526"},"modified":"2025-09-15T11:05:29","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T15:05:29","slug":"adhd-and-the-brain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/adhd-and-the-brain\/","title":{"rendered":"ADHD and the Brain: The Neuroscience of the Disorder"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/what-is-attention-deficit-hyperactive-disorder\/\">What is ADHD<\/a>? How is the brain affected by ADHD?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In <em>Scattered Minds<\/em>, Gabor Mat\u00e9 says that ADHD, which stands for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is a neurodevelopmental condition. If you have ADHD, it\u2019s because your brain works differently than others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep reading to learn more about ADHD and the brain&#8217;s way of responding to the condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p><em>Editor\u2019s note: This article is part of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/hub\/society-culture\/psychology\/adhd-guide\/\">Shortform&#8217;s guide on ADHD<\/a>.\u00a0If you like what you read here, there\u2019s plenty more to check out in the guide!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-it-feels-like-to-have-adhd\"><strong>What It Feels Like to Have ADHD<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Mat\u00e9 explains that <strong>if you have ADHD, you experience at least two of three primary symptoms: difficulty with attention, difficulty with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-control-impulses\/\">impulse control<\/a>, and difficulty with stillness.<\/strong> You may also struggle with secondary symptoms, including difficulty with self-esteem and difficulty with relationships. Let\u2019s explore each to understand more about ADHD and the brain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-difficulty-with-attention\">Difficulty With Attention<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you have difficulty with attention, you\u2019re unable to focus on what you\u2019re doing unless you\u2019re already highly motivated to do it.<\/strong> For example, you might find it easy to get into the zone when you\u2019re working on a hobby but feel unable to pay attention to activities you don\u2019t enjoy, like your taxes. Mat\u00e9 says that this can lead you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/to-procrastinate\/\">to procrastinate<\/a> on things you don\u2019t enjoy until the time crunch motivates you to focus and take action, which can stress you out and prevent you from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reach-your-goals-2\/\">achieving your goals<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-difficulty-with-impulse-control\">Difficulty With Impulse Control<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you have difficulty with impulse control, you act on your first instinct without thinking about the consequences of your actions.<\/strong> For example, Mat\u00e9 says that you might feel unable to stop yourself from frequently interrupting others instead of waiting your turn to speak. You may also feel like you have to do or get what you want <em>right now<\/em>\u2014even if it\u2019s not in your best interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-difficulty-with-stillness\">Difficulty With Stillness<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you have difficulty with stillness, you simply can\u2019t tolerate inactivity, so you\u2019re always in motion. <\/strong>You may stay <em>physically <\/em>still for long periods of time\u2014like when you\u2019re procrastinating on a work assignment\u2014but that stillness isn\u2019t restful; the whole time, you\u2019re thinking about the other things you need to be doing. Mat\u00e9 says that this often presents as anxiety\u2014you\u2019re not merely active, you\u2019re restless and worried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-secondary-adhd-symptoms\">Secondary ADHD Symptoms<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>You may also have secondary symptoms, like difficulty with self-esteem and relationships.<\/strong> Mat\u00e9 explains that you only experience these secondary symptoms because your primary symptoms adversely impact the way you interact with the world.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You might have difficulty with self-esteem if your ADHD symptoms have interfered with your ability to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/steps-to-achieve-your-goals\/\">achieve your goals<\/a>. For example, Mat\u00e9 notes that difficulty with attention can contribute to poorer memory that may affect your performance at work and derail your career. Not doing as well as you\u2019d like to may lead you to feel inadequate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You might have difficulty with relationships if your ADHD symptoms make it hard for you to follow social rules or meet others\u2019 standards. For example, Mat\u00e9 notes that difficulty with impulse control can result in emotional outbursts\u2014in a conflict, you might say the first thing that comes to mind, even if it isn\u2019t kind or constructive, which intensifies the conflict and ultimately distances you from others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-you-have-an-adhd-brain\"><strong>Why You Have an ADHD Brain<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Mat\u00e9, you experience ADHD symptoms because your brain developed atypically. Now, we\u2019ll explain <em>why <\/em>your brain developed atypically. First, we\u2019ll discuss Mat\u00e9\u2019s biopsychosocial approach to the origins of ADHD. Then, we\u2019ll discuss how biological and social factors lead to the psychological symptoms associated with ADHD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-biopsychosocial-approach-to-adhd\">The Biopsychosocial Approach to ADHD<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Mat\u00e9 says that when he wrote this book, most experts believed that ADHD had exclusively biological origins\u2014you\u2019d only develop ADHD if you inherited the genes responsible for it. He argues that <strong>ADHD actually has biological, psychological, <em>and <\/em>social causes, <\/strong>and provides two justifications for a biopsychosocial approach to ADHD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mat\u00e9\u2019s first argument for why ADHD can\u2019t be purely genetic is that genes are merely blueprints that tell your body how to organize itself. How your body expresses a given genetic trait as you grow up depends on environmental factors\u2014the circumstances you live in.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mat\u00e9 also argues that when interpreted correctly, research supports the view that ADHD isn\u2019t <em>exclusively <\/em>biological in origin. Studies show that if you\u2019re related to someone with ADHD, you\u2019re more likely to have ADHD yourself\u2014this is often taken to suggest that ADHD has a significant biological basis, but Mat\u00e9 says relatives often <em>also <\/em>share the same environments, and your environment can have an equally significant impact on your psychological development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-role-of-genetics-in-adhd\">The Role of Genetics in ADHD<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Mat\u00e9 says that <strong>the genetic basis of ADHD is a sensitive temperament, which predisposes you to ADHD by making you more susceptible to environmental stress. <\/strong>If you inherited a sensitive temperament, you\u2019re biologically primed to readily pick up on <em>and <\/em>have more intense reactions to physical and emotional stimuli.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Mat\u00e9, sensitivity can be advantageous\u2014since you\u2019re more attuned to the world around you, you take notice of the world\u2019s most subtle complexities, and you\u2019re given to feelings like awe, wonder, and appreciation. With those strengths under your belt, you could fill an important creative or spiritual role in society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But sensitivity can also be disadvantageous because it makes you more likely to be <em>negatively <\/em>affected by your environment. For example, Mat\u00e9 cites studies that say people with ADHD are more likely to have allergies, lower pain tolerance, and higher emotional reactivity\u2014their responses to both positive and negative emotions are just more extreme. If you\u2019re more susceptible to environmental stress, you\u2019re more likely to suffer the negative effects of stress\u2014including the harmful impacts it can have on your developing brain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-role-of-childhood-stress-in-adhd\">The Role of Childhood Stress in ADHD<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Based on anecdotal evidence from his life and the lives of his patients, Mat\u00e9 believes that <strong>the psychosocial basis of ADHD is early childhood stress.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mat\u00e9 says that early childhood stress includes obvious stressors like neglect, abuse, or separation from your parents\u2014<strong>but if you\u2019re genetically predisposed to be highly sensitive, you were probably stressed by even the most subtly negative social interactions<\/strong>.<strong> <\/strong>Your parents may have been very loving and attentive toward you, but if they were stressed themselves, your home may have had an imperceptibly tense emotional atmosphere. Your sensitive temperament gave you greater, unconscious awareness of that tension\u2014for example, on some level you may have noticed that your parents didn\u2019t smile at you often enough. As a result, you became stressed too, even if you weren\u2019t consciously aware that you <em>felt <\/em>stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-the-parent-child-bond-affects-your-development\">How the Parent-Child Bond Affects Your Development<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Mat\u00e9 explains that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-bond-with-your-child\/\">parent-child bond<\/a> influences your cognitive-emotional development in two ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, consistently positive parent-child interactions produce positive feelings, which set off neurochemical processes that promote the physical<em> <\/em>growth of your brain by building <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/creating-new-neural-pathways\/\">new neural pathways<\/a> and strengthening existing connections. On the other hand, if you <em>don\u2019t <\/em>have consistently positive interactions with your parents, you become physiologically stressed. Stress sets off a neurochemical reaction that <em>inhibits <\/em>neural growth. <strong>If you endured a lot of early childhood stress, your brain simply didn\u2019t have the opportunity to develop as it typically would.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mat\u00e9 argues that<strong> the neurological effects of early childhood stress can be seen most clearly in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/what-does-the-prefrontal-cortex-do-in-the-brain\/\">prefrontal cortex<\/a> (PFC)<\/strong>, which studies suggest is underdeveloped in people with ADHD. The PFC is the part of your brain responsible for managing attention, impulse control, and stillness\u2014if your PFC is underdeveloped, you lack the physiological structure needed to support typical functioning in those areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Second, consistently healthy parent-child interactions teach you important <em>psychological skills<\/em>\u2014like how to manage your attention, control your impulses, and regulate stillness. For example, Mat\u00e9 explains that you typically learn <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-pay-attention\/\">how to pay attention<\/a> by having positive interactions with your parents\u2014you want more of the feel-good endorphins these interactions give you, so you learn to focus on your parents when they\u2019re focused on you.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is ADHD? How is the brain affected by ADHD? In Scattered Minds, Gabor Mat\u00e9 says that ADHD, which stands for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is a neurodevelopmental condition. If you have ADHD, it\u2019s because your brain works differently than others. Keep reading to learn more about ADHD and the brain&#8217;s way of responding to the condition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":77652,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,160],"tags":[1105],"class_list":["post-108526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-psychology","category-science","tag-scattered-minds","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>ADHD and the Brain: The Neuroscience of the Disorder - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"So much is going on in your brain, and things get confusing when ADHD is involved. We&#039;ve broken down the science of ADHD and the brain here.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/adhd-and-the-brain\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ADHD and the Brain: The Neuroscience of the Disorder\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"So much is going on in your brain, and things get confusing when ADHD is involved. 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