"Haavik was surprised to hear this because the scientific data do not suggest an unequivocal link between low levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine and ADHD. But the idea that low dopamine is a direct cause of ADHD is a common misconception, one that's amplified on social media and even in popular books about the condition. The reality, Haavik and other researchers say, is that the causes of ADHD are more diverse and nuanced than a simple deficit in one chemical cue in the brain."
"The effectiveness of medications such as methylphenidate (Ritalin) and amphetamine (Adderall), which increase the levels of dopamine and other chemicals in the brain, led to the idea that ADHD was the result of a dopamine deficit, says paediatrics researcher James Swanson at the University of California, Irvine. "The drug corrects the symptoms, so the assumption is that patients have a deficit of neurotransmitters.""
Stimulant drugs that increase dopamine reduce ADHD symptoms, which originally inspired the dopamine-deficit idea in the 1960s. Brain imaging, genetics and experimental models have probed dopamine's role but the evidence does not establish a simple causal link between low dopamine levels and ADHD. Clinical presentations and underlying biology are heterogeneous, involving multiple neurotransmitters, brain circuits, developmental trajectories, genetic influences and environmental factors. Medication efficacy does not necessarily prove a singular neurotransmitter deficiency. Social media and popular writings often simplify the science, promoting the misconception that low dopamine alone explains ADHD.
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