Healing ADD: The Breakthrough Program that Allows You to See and Heal the 7 Types of ADD

by Daniel G. Amen

on the brain. She injected these substances tagged to a radioactive isotope and watched where they worked in the brain. Both methylphenidate and cocaine worked in the same area of the brain: the head of the caudate nucleus in the basal ganglia (a structure deep in the brain). This is the same area found to be underactive in a number of ADD studies and may be one of the reasons many ADD adults abuse cocaine and methamphetamines. Dr. Volkow concluded in her study that the reason cocaine is addictive and methylphenidate is not is that cocaine is taken up very quickly in the basal ganglia, has a much more powerful effect in releasing dopamine (a high sensation), and is gone quickly (leading to withdrawal). Methylphenidate, on the other hand, is taken up much more slowly, has a weaker effect, and stays around longer (no withdrawal). The caudate nucleus appears to be an important brain structure in psychiatry, and is involved in motivation, attention shifting, and anxiety control. When it is overactive, people have a tendency to be overfocused or obsessive. When it is underactive, people have trouble paying attention. There are many connections between the basal ganglia and prefrontal cortex. When there is low basal ganglia activity, there is not enough dopamine being produced to drive the prefrontal cortex. The result is primary ADD symptoms. As I