Autism And ADHD Have More In Common Than You Might Think

We don’t tend to look at autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as having much in common, but new science offers a compelling reason to consider some of the striking similarities between the two disorders. Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD, and ADHD are different in many respects, to be sure. However, they have several important things in common: both are common neurodevelopmental disorders, they run in families, and they’re characterized by symptoms like difficulty paying attention and impaired social interactions. And as scientists are increasingly finding, autism and ADHD actually occur together in a large percentage of patients ― something that’s rarely been recognized until recently. Despite the fact that anywhere from 30 to 80 percent of patients with autism also have ADHD, until two years ago the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders stated that a person couldn’t have both disorders at the same time.  Now, scientists have discovered more about the brain mechanisms underlying the interaction of these two disorders. In a new study published online on Nov. 2 in the journal PLOS One, a team of Dutch and Swiss researchers analyzed MRI scans from over 500 volunteers to identify the brain structures involved in the overlap of ADHD and autism. The findings revealed that autistic traits in individuals with ADHD could be predicted by the interaction of certain regions that play a role in the brain’s reward processi...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news