Scientists discover autism and ADHD may be the same condition
Autism and ADHD are usually treated like two different lanes. Different diagnoses, different labels, different conversations. But new research is starting to blur that line.
A study published in Molecular Psychiatry suggests the two may actually share deeper biological connections than we’ve previously recognized. Not just overlap. Something closer to the same underlying system showing up in different ways.
It is more about what’s happening underneath the labels
The study, led by researchers at the Child Mind Institute, looked at 166 children aged 6 to 12 diagnosed with either autism or ADHD. Instead of focusing on diagnosis, they focused on symptoms, specifically autism-related traits.
Per the study, kids with stronger autism traits showed similar patterns in brain activity regardless of whether they were diagnosed with autism or ADHD.
The brain patterns that kept showing up
Using brain scans, researchers looked at how different regions communicate.
Two key systems stood out: the frontoparietal network (linked to decision-making and focus) and the default mode network (linked to social thinking and internal thoughts).
In typical development, these systems become more independent over time. But in children with stronger autism traits, those connections stayed more tightly linked.
Again, this was not limited to one diagnosis.
And the genetics lined up too. The brain patterns matched regions where certain genes already linked to both autism and ADHD are active.
So it doesn’t end with behavior or brain activity. There’s an actual biological overlap happening at multiple levels.
So, what is changing?
This doesn’t mean autism and ADHD are outrigh “the same thing.” But they may share underlying mechanisms more than previously understood.
Instead of treating them as completely separate categories, researchers are leaning toward a more dimensional approach that puts focus on traits that exist across both.
And this might shape diagnosis and care. If conditions are understood based on individual brain patterns and traits, it opens the door to more personalized approaches. That’s less one-size-fits-all.
Source: ScienceDaily
