26/04/2026
ADHD and the Dopamine Hypothesis — time to rethink
A recent paper in Frontiers in Psychiatry revisits one of the most widely accepted ideas in mental health — that ADHD is simply a “dopamine deficiency.”
The conclusion is quite clear. Dopamine is involved, but ADHD cannot be reduced to a simple low dopamine state.
What we are likely dealing with is a much more complex picture:
dynamic regulation of brain systems, network-level differences, developmental factors, and individual variability that cannot be captured by a single neurotransmitter model.
This has important clinical implications.
For decades, the field has been guided by a very simple assumption:
chemical imbalance can be corrected with medication.
However, real-world experience tells a different story.
Side effects are common. Long-term compliance is often low. Outcomes vary significantly from person to person.
If ADHD were truly just a chemical deficiency, we would expect far more consistent results from a purely chemical intervention.
This is where the shift is happening.
ADHD is better understood as a disorder of brain regulation rather than a static chemical imbalance.
This opens the door to more precise and biologically grounded approaches:
EEG and ERP neuromarkers, neurofeedback, photobiomodulation, and integrated, personalised interventions.
The key question for the field is no longer how to correct a deficit, but how to restore regulation in a living, dynamic system.
A critical review of the evidence
