>So, doctors are giving a hyperactive person a stimulant to cure their lack
of attention? Doesn't quite seem right...
http://www.mentalhealth.com/mag1/p5h-add1.html
Most of these drugs alter the effects of one of the catecholamine
neurotransmitters, norepinephrine or dopamine; either the transmitter's
rate of release or reabsorption is changed, or the brain's sensitivity to
it is affected. Neurons that produce these transmitters are located in the
RAS and nucleus accumbens, among other regions. Although brain systems
using catecholamines are clearly essential for the regulation of attention,
the precise way they work is not yet understood. The effects of stimulant
drugs were once described as "paradoxical" because they seemed to make
children with ADD calmer rather than more active. The paradox, if it is
one, is not confined to people with ADD, since low doses of stimulants have
been found to improve concentration and reduce restlessness in most
children.
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