Story highlights: Brain volume was smaller in people with ADHD compared to others, research finds; The biggest difference occurred in the amygdala, a region involved in emotional processing...according to a study published Wednesday in the medical journal The Lancet Psychiatry. The differences in brain volume were identified by researchers who reviewed brain scans comparing those without ADHD to those with the disorder.

As many as five brain regions may not be fully developed in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a new imaging study. "The results from our study confirm that people with ADHD have differences in their brain structure and therefore suggest that ADHD is a disorder of the brain,” lead author Martine Hoogman, Ph.D., said in a news release. “We hope that this will help to reduce stigma that ADHD is ‘just a label’ for difficult children or caused by poor parenting."

The national prevalence of parent-reported asthma, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is on the rise in the United States, as are accompanying comorbid disorders, but poverty influences the prevalence of each of these conditions differently, according to a longitudinal analysis of the National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH). The study was published online February 13 in Pediatrics.

A senior at St. Charles East High School, Christopher, 18, has autism and an attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. He was able to pass the written exam for his permit, but struggled behind the wheel in the school's driver's education program. Experts say students with such disorders are challenged in their ability to pay attention, switch focus and remember details. Behind the wheel, they can be easily distracted by billboards and are more prone to road rage, said Gayle Sweeney of Chicago-based Behind the Wheel with ADHD, a group that works with teen drivers. Perhaps most significantly, the group says teens with ADHD are four times as likely to have accidents.

Researchers examined 41 studies conducted from 1990 to 2016. The studies included more than 2,700 extremely low birth weight babies (less than 1,000 grams, or just over 2 pounds) and more than 11,000 normal birth weight babies in the United States, Canada and 10 other countries. The extremely low birth weight babies had a higher risk for certain mental health problems. As children, they were more likely to have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and as teens they had a greater risk of ADHD and social problems, the researchers found.

This well-done retrospective cross-sectional study delivers just what we want from such a study design: a clear path forward to develop a prospective trial to answer a specific question...Investigators looked at data from 6489 children and adolescents in the NHANES database who completed questionnaires and also underwent dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans. Of those, 159 participants reported use of stimulant medication, presumably for treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). They found lower bone density measurements in the stimulant users.

The proposed changes were presented before the Georgia Senate's Health and Human Services Committee on Thursday afternoon. State Sen. Renee Unterman, the committee's chairwoman, had created a bill aimed at curbing the abuse of prescription opioids in Georgia. But controversy erupted as word spread of the provision that would have imposed restrictions on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medications, as well as other prescriptions of controlled substances.

Did the rate of autism diagnoses increase 400% between 2007 and 2011? No, they did not. But you might not agree with me if you read this article, appearing early Monday in the journal Pediatrics...The lifetime prevalence of ASD rose almost 400%. This is an error. How this error occurred should be a lesson to all of us who read papers like this to guide our practice.