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This article from MedicalXpress reports on a different way of looking at ADHD:
Hyperactivity seems to be the result of not being able to focus one's attention rather than the other way around. This was proposed in an article in PLOS ONE, written by researchers at Radboud university medical center and Radboud University. It seems to suggest that more attention should be given to the AD than to the HD component.
ADHD is a combination of having difficulties with focusing one's attention (attention deficit, AD) and overly active, impulsive behaviour (hyperactivity disorder, HD). Interestingly enough, many people often struggle with a combination of both characteristics. Very often they are both easily distracted and impulsive, in other words, both AD and HD. "Which leads to the question of whether this involves a correlation, a coincidental combination, or perhaps a causal relation," states computer scientist Tom Heskes.
[...] "This causal relation was also suggested in early psychiatric literature," says psychiatrist Jan Buitelaar, "but as far as we know there was never any hard evidence supporting this claim. It's interesting to see that this mathematical approach enables us to talk with more certainty about a causal relation. And it would be even more interesting, for example, to study whether we can find a more neurological basis for that relation.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by VLM on Sunday December 04 2016, @05:55PM
Not even a thousand years ago problem.
My guess is the behavior is hugely advantageous for shepherds, mildly advantageous for hunters and craftsmen (flint knappers, weavers, smiths), probably doesn't matter for gatherers, and when chillin around the prehistoric campfire its a mild disadvantage depending how annoying they are and how tolerant the tribe is (think of the annoying kid interrupting and correcting the oral tradition elders all the time), balancing out mostly. I suspect ADHD was more prevalent 20 centuries ago. How you'd diagnose that in the general population with what little evidence we have is a mystery.
I'd theorize that a small fraction of the ancient "holy cow are barbarians stupid and useless" commentary is whining about them having ADHD like symptoms that were not bred out like would happen in city life or royalty life. Perhaps entire Celtic tribes that Caesar wiped out had severe ADHD, who knows.
The real genetic funnel question is how they'd survive the much more recent pre-OSHA early industrial factory floor and the current Prussian education system designed to fill it (and the infantry ranks), how did any euros with ADHD genetic background survive that era?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 04 2016, @06:36PM
think of the annoying kid interrupting and correcting the oral tradition elders all the time
They'd probably be doing something else instead of listening to stuff around the campfire. Which might increase the odds of detecting enemy and other attacks.
Being easily distracted from flint knapping by what might be lions/tigers in the grass was probably a feature when work wasn't quite as urgent. You have more time to learn the details of flint napping when both teacher and student are alive. It is a problem if you can't keep still and quiet to avoid being discovered and killed. But lots of non-ADHD people make uncontrollable noises when scared too.