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Rethinking ADHD: Brain scans indicate at least 3 subtypes attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Children who present with the most volatile form of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder have a harder time regulating their emotions, researchers say. When overwhelmed, this can lead to full-body tantrums that sometimes result in throwing and breaking things.

Some researchers have long associated emotional dysregulation with ADHD, said Dr. Francisco Xavier Castellanos, professor emeritus of child and adolescent psychiatry at New York University’s Langone Medical Center. As a neuroscientist, Castellanos has spent the past 35 years investigating the brains of people with ADHD. Now, he says, the science finally appears to support what many researchers and clinicians have long suspected.

Here & Now‘s Indira Lakshmanan speaks with Castellanos about our evolving understanding of ADHD and the ongoing challenges we face in treating it.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2026 WBUR

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