ADHD: Current concepts on etiology, pathophysiology, and neurobiology

As cognitive neuroscience and developmental neurobiology advance, it is imp ortant that these advances be applied to the study of children and childhoo d disorders. Basic and pathophysiologic studies of the many forms of ADHD a nd possible causes, and studies of genes and gene environment interactions, are critical for an adequate understanding of this heterogenous disorder. To date, most studies seem to have implicitly assumed that ADHD was immutab le and all inborn, perhaps in part because of the high heritabilities. It i s hoped that the next generation of research and researchers will tackle th ese formidable challenges, undertake the necessary longitudinal studies of early attention development and regulation, and link these studies to basic neuroscience research in animal models using the new tools available throu gh molecular genetics and neuroimaging.