Understanding neurodivergence
Articles based on published research: ADHD, autism, dyslexia, mood, sleep, and what actually helps.
Rewards in ADHD and Autism: Same Brain Regions, Opposite Responses
A 2026 meta-analysis of 29 brain imaging studies suggests that ADHD and autism involve the same deep reward regions, but that these regions respond in opposite directions when a reward arrives. What it shows, what it could mean for motivation, and its limits.
ADHD Awareness Month 2026: What Research Taught Us This Year
October is ADHD Awareness Month, and this year's theme says ADHD is "complicated and connected". Recent research agrees. Here are nine findings we covered, from brain subgroups to the heart, sleep and later life, each in a few lines with a link to the full article.
ADHD and Dementia Risk: What the New JAMA Psychiatry Study Shows
A large JAMA Psychiatry study of more than 187,000 US adults aged 50 and over links ADHD to a higher risk of mild cognitive impairment or dementia. Yet more than 93% of people with ADHD in the study were not affected. What it found, its limits, and why it is an association, not proof of cause.
MMR Vaccine and Autism: What a Study of 2.5 Million Children Found
A new study of more than 2.5 million US children found no link between a first MMR dose before age 2 and autism. Here is how it was designed to avoid common biases, what it can and cannot say, and why this worry keeps coming back.
RSD in Autistic Adults: What a 2026 Scoping Review Actually Found
Many autistic adults use the term RSD for intense reactions to rejection. A 2026 scoping review found only 12 relevant studies, with mixed results. Here is what the science says, what it does not say yet, and what can help.
Three Types of ADHD? What the 2026 Brain Scan Study Really Found
Posts say scientists have "discovered 3 types of ADHD." A real JAMA Psychiatry study did find three brain-based subgroups in children with ADHD. Here is what it showed, what a "biotype" is, and why it is not a diagnostic scan.
ADHD and Early-Onset Type 2 Diabetes: What the New EASD Data Show
New data presented at the EASD 2026 meeting in Milan found ADHD about twice as common in people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes before age 20. It is conference data and an association, not proof of cause. Here is what it shows, and what it does not.
Sleep, Body Clock and Mental Health in Autism and ADHD: What Research Says
Insomnia, a late body clock and poor sleep quality are common in autistic people and people with ADHD, and they are tied to anxiety and depression. A 2026 paper in SLEEP, written from lived experience, maps what we know and what research should ask next.
Placental Health in Late Pregnancy and ADHD: What the PlGF Study Shows
A University of Iowa study in JAMA Psychiatry links low placental growth factor (PlGF) late in pregnancy to higher odds of an ADHD diagnosis in children. What it found, what it cannot show, and why no parent is to blame.
Food and Mood: What Is Actually Proven in Humans
Social media is full of claims that a food causes anxiety or cures depression, often based on mouse studies. Here is what trials in people really show: a real but modest effect of diet on depression, no clear effect on anxiety, and weak evidence for supplements.
Hundreds of Autism Genes, Two Brain States: What the New Science Study Shows
A September 2026 study in Science found that mice carrying very different autism-risk mutations fall into just two opposite patterns of brain gene activity. It changes how researchers think about autism's diversity. It does not create autism subtypes, tests or treatments.
Chronic Pain and Mental Health: What the 2025 Research Actually Says
A viral post says chronic pain and depression share the same brain circuits. It is right, and a 2025 review of nearly a million people shows how common the overlap is, including in ADHD, autism and PTSD. The treatment evidence is thinner than you might hope.
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