Research Update

In preparation of the annotated bibliography assignment, I have been looking through some prospects for sources. While doing this, I have learned much more about ADHD in general as well as risk factors and causes. One thing is certain. There is no single definitive cause. Viruses, harmful chemicals in the environment, genetics, problems during pregnancy or delivery, or anything that impairs brain development can play a role in causing the attention problems in ADHD.

Developing and Advancing project

ADHD is a developmental disorder affecting about 5% of the world's population.

ADHD is usually diagnosed during childhood but is considered to be a chronic condition with no cure. The exact cause of the disorder is not clear. Researchers have found that ADHD often runs in families, signifying that it could be passed through genes. Currently, research is being conducted on identifying the actual genes that causes a person to be susceptible to ADHD. Researchers have also found positive correlations between ADHD and a number of other things. For example, the National Institute of Mental Health has suggested a possible link between alcohol and tobacco consumption during pregnancy and ADHD.

A better understanding of the current theories on the cause(s) of ADHD would give me an idea of the possibility of curing this disorder. In the near future, pinpointing the cause of ADHD would help people create better treatment options for the disorder.

Questions:
What is the current method used for identifying genes?
Whats going on in genetics right now?
What are the main theories?
What are current subjects of debate within this area of interest?

Blogsignment - Research Update

I went to the Health and Sciences library today as part of the Search Logs assignment. I found the experience to be tremendously helpful. I went in thinking the lady would just ramble on about the same things as the lady that gave us the Davis tour. As a senior, I have already had the same presentation given to me 4 times prior to that. I knew how to work the lib.unc.edu website. However, I was shocked by this lady's expertise. She asked me general to specific questions and began filling in the blanks as she guided me through hsl.unc.edu databases. Those databases seemed to be much more advanced than the ones on lib.unc.edu. Or maybe the reference librarians at Davis just failed to explain or mention the more advanced searching techniques, I'm not sure. All I know is that these search results were on point. Extremely on point. They were also obtained very fast. I would document the entire process on this blog since I took notes, but no one will read this except me and Leo anyways.