A new study shows that the prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among children is lower for those who live in elevated locations like mountains. They also found out that they are reversely related in the sense that the rate or prevalence decreases as the elevation increases.
The researchers were from the Department of Psychiatry in the University of Utah and they were able to analyze data from the National Survey of Children's Health report in 2007 and the 2010 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs. Their aim is to identify the prevalence and rate of ADHD cases among children ages 4 to 17.
In the study, published in the Journal of Attention Disorders, the researchers discovered that in the state of Nevada (5,517 feet elevation), had the lowest rate or percentage of children diagnosed with ADHD with only 5.6% of children diagnosed with the condition, reprots Psyche News.
The scientists said that the reason why ADHD rate is lower in elevated places is that, the levels of dopamine is produced in the body when there is hypobaric hypoxia. This is caused by breathing air with only a small amount of oxygen. Places at higher elevations have less oxygenated air.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter linked to ADHD in a reciprocal relationship. Thus, if the elevation becomes higher, the levels of dopamine increase too. Dr. Perry F. Renshaw, a co-author of the study and a professor of psychiatry at the University of Utah said, "To treat ADHD, we very often give someone medication that increases dopamine. If the findings are confirmed in further studies, they could have important implications for treating people with ADHD."
Dr. Douglas G. Kondo, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Utah and senior author of the study told Live Science, "But in the case of ADHD, living at altitude may afford some protection. It might be a protective factor instead of a risk of developing an illness."