Many parents wonder how to handle a child who has been diagnosed with ADHD, anxiety or depression - or even one who is struggling with day-to-day stress. In her new book, Mental Health, Naturally: The Family Guide to HolisticCare for a Healthy Mind and Body (American Academy of Pediatrics, March 2010), pediatrician and holistic medicine expert Kathi J. Kemper, MD, MPH, FAAP, provides practical guidance to those who seek natural methods of treatment. Dr. Kemper is a leading international authority on complementary therapies for children…

Until now, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was related to alterations in the brain affecting attention and cognitive processes. Researchers at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital for the first time have discovered anomalies in the brain’s reward system related to the neural circuits of motivation and gratification. In children with ADHD, the degree of motivation when carrying out an activity is related to the immediacy with which the objectives of the activity are met…

Can’t study. Can’t focus. Can’t remember what I was supposed to do next.

Two brain areas fail to connect when children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder attempt a task that measures attention, as per scientists at the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain and M.I.N.D. Institute. “This is the first time that we have direct evidence that this connectivity is missing in ADHD,” said Ali Mazaheri, postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Mind and Brain.

KemPharm, Inc. today announced positive results from a Phase 1 clinical trial of KP106, its novel prodrug for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). KP106, a new chemical entity (NCE) composed of the active pharmaceutical compound d-amphetamine and a ligand, was created using KemPharm’s proprietary Ligand Activated Therapy (LAT) prodrug approach. The pharmacokinetic (PK) profile of d-amphetamine released from KP106 is modified versus the profile observed with Vyvanse®, a currently marketed amphetamine-based stimulant for ADHD…

Two brain areas fail to connect when children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder attempt a task that measures attention, according to researchers at the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain and M.I.N.D. Institute. “This is the first time that we have direct evidence that this connectivity is missing in ADHD,” said Ali Mazaheri, postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Mind and Brain.

Only about half of American children and teenagers who have certain mental disorders receive professional services, according to a nationally representative survey funded in part by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The survey also provides a comprehensive look at the prevalence of common mental disorders. The results are part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a collaboration between NIMH and the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The survey conducted from 2001 to 2004 had 3,042 participants…

It seems obvious that naturally waking up from sleep and being startled by something in the environment are two very different emotional states. However, the neuroscience that underlies these different forms of arousal has, for the most part, remained a mystery.

Researchers in the US found that exposure to tobacco in the womb and to lead during childhood was linked to a particularly high risk for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children, suggesting that while we tend to focus on treatment for ADHD, eliminating such exposures might prevent the condition in many hundreds of thousands of children.

Phthalates are important components of many consumer products, including toys, cleaning materials, plastics, and personal care items. Studies to date on phthalates have been inconsistent, with some linking exposure to these chemicals to hormone disruptions, birth defects, asthma, and reproductive problems, while others have found no significant association between exposure and adverse effects.