Researchers from the University’s Department of Pediatrics based at the Royal Children’s Hospital and researchers from the Howard Florey Institute have discovered a biological cause for why children with ADHD are not able to handle stressful environments.

The discovery reveals that dysfunction in a region of the brain, the right parietal lobe, which underpins our abilities to develop coping strategies, is linked to behaviour in ADHD children.

“The study helps us further understand how brain function underlies erratic and aggressive behaviour in ADHD children,” said chief investigator Professor Alasdair Vance of the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Melbourne, based at the RCH.

“Children who suffer ADHD do not have the same coping mechanisms for stress as other people do. It cannot be assumed that ADHD behaviour is the fault of bad parenting or lack or discipline.”

“This discovery has the real potential to improve treatment strategies for ADHD, to enable these children to better manage the demands of their family and school relationships.”

Between 1 – 3 per cent of the population suffer from ADHD, a neurological disorder that affects planning and impulse control, mood and arousal regulation.

Sufferers of ADHD have difficulty controlling their behaviours in high stress environments such as the classroom, playground or sharing with brothers and sisters at home.

Professor Vance says these children will do anything to feel in control of their situation and have negative, oppositional ways of relating. This includes changing the rules of a game endlessly and arguing back.

“They can be impulsive, ‘hyper’, anxious and aggressive. And use this behaviour to shut down the competing factors to simplify their environment.”

“What you might best compare it to is the mindless act of road rage. They choose to become angry when really the important thing is to get home and not have that fight.”

These new findings will help to create more targeted treatments for ADHD. But Professor Vance says medication is not just the answer.

“But more targeted drugs will help a child to change behaviours. But environment is also an important factor. These children are fine in low stress environments. The challenge is to get the right mix in the treatment regime.”

The study consisted of 24 children performing spatial working memory tasks involving mental rotation.

Imaging analysis of the data was conducted by the Neuroimaging Group at the Howard Florey Institute.

Professor Vance says improved treatment strategies are imperative to improve the quality of life not for just the child but also the families.

“Parents of children who suffer ADHD feel hopeless, helpless and overwhelmed. They don’t understand why children aren’t responding. They are often depressed due to the fact that they feel they can’t develop solutions to better manage the situation.”

Professor Vance says further studies into associated brain regions and key environmental factors will be conducted in the future.

The research was the feature article in the prestigious Nature journal Molecular Psychiatry.