If it seems to you that Attention Deficit / Hyper Activity Disorder (ADHD) is everywhere these days, you’re not wrong. There are a variety of reasons as to why this particular neurodivergency is diagnosed with greater frequency than ever before. Most of those reasons have to do with advances in research and technology.
ADHD seems to function an awful lot like “Lizard Brain”, a term used by today’s guest– author, eventer, and former psychotherapist, Andrea Monsarrat Waldo. Andrea and Helena talk about the similarities between the brain of a horse and the brain of a human with ADHD. Why? Because the comparisons offer an opportunity for greater understanding (and hopefully appreciation) of your horse’s behavior, as well as your own. And the more we understand our horses, the more effective and compassionate trainers we can be. This is super cool stuff, so listen in!
For more information:
Brain Training for Riders, by Andrea Monsarrat Waldo
Six Things You Didn’t Know About the ADHD Brain
ADHD in Detail (in Peer-Reviewed Reports in Medical Education Research, PRiMER)
The Paradox of Pleasure (how dopamine, which is significantly lower in people with ADHD, effects human behavior in the 21st century) + The Path to Enough (part 2 of the Hidden Brain Podcast Series on Dopamine). Digital devices and other addictive luxuries create a dopamine rollercoaster in neurotypical people that often presents like ADHD, which contributes to the sense that attention challenges are everywhere.
Dr. Steve Peters, Equine Neuroscience Specialist
Horse Brain, Human Brain, by Janet Jones, PhD
A Horse by Nature, by Mary Ann Simonds
Brain activation patterns in medicated versus medication-naïve adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder during fMRI tasks of motor inhibition and cognitive switching
“Dopamine and noradrenaline play important roles in high-level executive functions in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by influencing the fronto-striato-cerebellar circuits [6]. ADHD is associated with reduced noradrenaline (norepinephrine) transporter availability in right attention networks [38]: noradrenaline (norepinephrine) reuptake inhibitors inhibit the uptake of primarily norepinephrine by presynaptic nerve terminals and increase its availability in the synaptic cleft by blocking the human norepinephrine transporter [17]. Dopamine influences the attention, concentration and motivation. “
ADHD Elite Insta (for some chuckles)