Like many brain deficits, ADHD affects frontal lobe executive functioning, which coordinates everything we do by processing and organizing information.
Components of executive function can be broken down into several mental tasks:
• Working memory — very short-term memory that allows us to keep information in mind long enough to use it; for instance, remembering a new phone number just long enough to call it
• Emotional control — the ability to tolerate frustration, suppress impulses, and think before speaking and acting
• Problem solving — reasoning through solutions that may involve calculations, organizing information, and abstract thinking
• Mental activation — the ability to start and complete tasks, as well as remain alert and sustain effort throughout the task
Many symptoms of ADHD result from dysfunction of these executive abilities. Hyperactivity and impulsivity stem from poor emotional control.