New studies show progress for ADHA patients.
Dopamine helps carry messages in the brain.
And while the results need to be confirmed in more subjects, and among children, she is optimistic that her findings will be consistent. As a result, there is the possibility that children might be misdiagnosed and incorrectly treated with stimulant drugs. But researchers believe that this test, and others like it, may take the mystery out of diagnosing deficit disorders. It's one of the most biological of psychiatric conditions. Those messages come in the form of the neurotransmitter, dopamine.