– ADHD brains are said to be constantly searching for dopamine – aren’t all brains craving dopamine? What’s the difference?

Question

– ADHD brains are said to be constantly searching for dopamine – aren’t all brains craving dopamine? What’s the difference?

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Answer 1

Less ELI5, but might be interesting:

Neurotransmitters don’t have a single function. There are things called neural pathways, and each neurotransmitter does different things in each pathway. The most notable pathway to be affected by ADHD is the reward pathway. It goes through lots of parts of the brain, including memory, capacity to make decisions, capacity to plan.
This pathway makes sure that if we do something good,we feel pleasure. That pleasure is then stored with the memory of the action, associated. When we try to make a decision, our brain brings back memories of things that brought us pleasure, meaning we remember things that worked, and prepares (primes) us to feel that satisfaction again.

When you have ADHD, your brain doesn’t keep enough dopamine floating in that particular pathway, which means you don’t feel satisfaction when doing things that would normally be rewarding. That lack of satisfaction is stored, marking the memory as unimportant. When you try to plan for something, you don’t have experiences to draw on at first.

That is why ADHD causes executive disfunction, in the form of memory issues and complications with decision making.

And, of course it means that while you are doing something, your brain doesn’t show you that it is an worthwhile action. That means you have to fight to stay focused, as your body tells you shouldn’t. And when you do hit on a loop of reward, your brain goes “THIS MATTERS! DON’T STOP!”. and breaking free to pay attention to something else becomes almost impossible.

ADHD is really interesting! If a big pain in the ass to have.

Edit: *Please* keep in mind that I’m *not a doctor*. I’m taking some classes on the topic for an *education* minor, nothing to do with mental health. I’m also Autistic, so my own experience might be different from yours. Do not take my word for gospel, but only as a way to guide your own research in the future, and a way to ask good questions from your doctor.

If you want a good *entry level* overview on ADHD, Dr Tracey Marks has some good information on her Youtube channel on the topic. **entry level** being the important part.

Be well friends!