Last year, researchers from the Brookhaven National Laboratory discovered that ADHD symptoms are partially caused by a problem in the brain’s reward pathway. Specifically, children with ADHD lack a protein in their brain, which causes a dysfunction in the way a person experiences reward and motivation. For instance, the prestige of getting good grades is not enough to motivate ADHD kids to do well in school; teachers need to provide extra engagement to get children interested in their lessons. These findings can probably explain why short attention spans and lack of focus are key behaviors of kids suffering from this disorder.

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Do you find yourself changing your child’s sheets too often because of tiny “accidents” that happen at night?  While there is little scientific evidence to show that one causes the other, doctors and experts observe that ADHD and bedwetting (or enuresis) often occurs together.  Will bedwetting go away if the ADHD symptoms are treated? Or will it require its own interventions?

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Numerous studies have confirmed that ADHD indeed has a genetic basis, which is worrisome for parents who recognize the symptoms from their childhood experiences. As a result, many companies capitalize on this information by offering home DNA tests for various inherited conditions, including bipolar disorder and ADHD.  Can a home DNA test predict the onset of ADHD in your child? How useful can such a test be?

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