I have previously posted a study on it, but before I post the new one, I would like to first clarify what exactly we may understand or not understand under the term.
This is not a long video as it would make no sense stretching your attention span over the topic of such. The questions that come to mind are as follows:
- do you tend to tune out quickly or remove yourself from situations that are not for you?
- do you have a strong sense regarding what you are and what you are not interested in?
- do those talking about low attention span also criticize spending too much time on what you might be interested in? (the accusation of obsessive behavior tends to be not far from the ADHD one)
- is faking interest in something painful to you?
- do you often think about something else while trying to stay present where you don’t feel right?
- have you ever had your mental health/stability questioned when someone wasn’t happy with your lack of enthusiasm over what he/she spent too much time sharing his/her interest in?
Since the “Wanderlust gene” is real and ADHD has often been put into question, here is another study on what we know to be:
The present study investigated gender differences in the associations between the DRD4 variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) polymorphism and adolescent delinquency, short temper and thrill seeking. We also explored whether the gender-specific expression of the DRD4 can be explained by gender differences in the exposure to psychosocial risks, such as poor parent–child relationship. Participants were 263 14- to 17-year olds (50% males) living in Russia. DNA was extracted from saliva samples and the VNTR DRD4 polymorphisms were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction. Participants reported on the extent of their delinquent behaviour, short temper, thrill seeking and exposure to psychosocial risk (i.e. poor parental monitoring of adolescent behaviour, exposure to violence and peer delinquency). Compared to individuals with the 4/4 genotype, males, but not females, with the 7-repeat allele (7R) had significantly higher delinquency, short temper and thrill seeking. This interaction effect, however, was completely explained by males’ higher exposure to psychosocial risk factors. When parental monitoring of youths’ activities and youth exposure to violence were included in the model, the 7R × gender interaction was no longer significant. Thus, social context plays an important role in explaining gender-specific phenotypic expression of the DRD4 gene.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3023085/
If you have been diagnosed, what if anything has been done about it? What advice do you have for those unable to fake interest for a long enough time not to trigger “ADHD” in the minds of those who have learned to be okay with being interested in everything and nothing?
Dopamine receptors control neural signals that modulates behavior. Dopamine plays an important role in normal attention; that is the reason for studying the genes of the dopaminergic system, mainly in connection with disorders of attention. DRD4 influences the postsynaptic action of dopamine and is implicated in many neurological processes, exhibits polymorphism and is one of the most studied genes in connection with psychiatric disorders. Associations were found with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), substance dependences, several specific personality traits, and reaction to stress. These findings have implications for pharmacogenetics. This article reviews the principle published associations of DRD4 variants with psychiatric disorders.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3560519/
ADDED:
What is now of great interest is DRD4-7R frequencies based on ABO and Rh factor.
This article reports an association between the variation of dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4) allele frequencies around the globe and population migration patterns in prehistoric times. After compiling existing data on DRD4 allele frequencies of 2,320 individuals from 39 populations and on the migration pattern of these groups, we found that, compared to sedentary populations, migratory populations showed a higher proportion of long alleles for DRD4. The correlation between macro-migration (long-distance group migration) and the proportion of long alleles of DRD4 was .85 (p < .001), and that between micro-migration (sedentary vs. nomadic settlement) and the proportion of long alleles was .52 (p = .001). We discussed the adaptive value of long alleles of DRD4—a genetic trait that has been linked in some studies to the personality trait of novelty-seeking and to hyperactivity— in migratory societies and the possibility of natural selection for a migration gene.
Here are some more questions:
- Is the Wanderlust gene higher in countries such as USA?
- Were the migrants throughout history higher in Rh negative blood than those who stayed behind?
More links:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20305304/
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most frequent child psychiatric problems with a complex genetic and environmental background. According to the prevailing view, main factors of the disorder are prefrontal dopamine deficiency and incomplete central dopaminergic functioning. Twin studies suggest substantial heritability in the background of the disease, and the studied candidate genes involve components of the dopamine system. Moreover, various noxious pre- and perinatal environmental impacts have been implicated in the pathogenesis of ADHD. Here we review experimental results from epidemiological, tissue and animal studies that assigned a causal role to fetal hypoxia in the development of ADHD and pointed out that the dopaminergic neurotransmission is sensitive to hypoxia. Allelic variants of the D4 dopamine receptor (DRD4) are well characterized risk factors of ADHD. Recently we have reported that hypoxia enhanced the promoter activity of DRD4 gene several fold. These observations suggest that the effect of hypoxia on the dopaminergic neurotransmission might be an important factor in the pathomechanism of ADHD.