Understanding neurodivergence
Articles based on published research: ADHD, autism, dyslexia, mood, sleep, and what actually helps.
Two Kinds of Smart: Why Autism and ADHD Have Opposite Genetic Links With Knowledge and Reasoning
A 2026 study in Nature Communications split intelligence into reasoning, knowledge and speed, then compared their genetics with autism, ADHD, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The links go in different directions. A single IQ number hides all of it.
Why Are So Many People Diagnosed With ADHD and Autism? A Study of 37,000 People Points to a Moving Threshold, Not an Epidemic
Diagnoses of ADHD and autism have more than quadrupled since the 1990s. A 2026 study in JAMA Psychiatry looked at the DNA of 37,000 diagnosed people, year by year. The genetic load of the average diagnosed person has fallen. Here is what that means, and what it does not.
ADHD Genes Beyond Dopamine: The Six Brain Pathways a 2022 Review Maps, and Why They All Lead Back to Dopamine
A viral post says the genes linked to ADHD fall into six neurotransmitter pathways. The review behind it is real. Here is what each pathway does, which genes are involved, why heritability is about 76%, and what a consumer DNA file can and cannot tell you.
Monotropism: What It Is, How It Is Measured, and Why It Explains So Much About Autism and ADHD
Monotropism is a theory of attention: some minds pull most of their attention into one interest at a time. It explains hyperfocus, painful transitions, deep expertise and sensory overload in one model. Here is the theory, the questionnaire behind it, and what a high score means.
Depression and Inflammation: The Kynurenine Detour, Explained
A viral post says your immune system can "reroute" brain chemistry and steal the raw material of serotonin. The mechanism is real and well studied. Here is what the kynurenine pathway is, what human studies actually show, and why it may explain why some antidepressants fail.
ADHD Is Not Only Dopamine: What the Research on GABA, the Brain's Brake, Actually Shows
A viral post says ADHD may be a problem of GABA, the brain's inhibitory signal, not just dopamine. The review behind it is real and careful. Here is what brain imaging found, which genes are involved, why it matters for the 30% who do not respond to stimulants, and what it does not mean.
A Stress Gene "Stuck On": What Epigenetics Just Revealed About Schizophrenia
A viral post says schizophrenia is linked to epigenetic changes in the gene that regulates stress. The study is real, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry. Here is what FKBP5 does, what the brains showed, and why stress is such a powerful trigger in psychosis.
Autism Is Not One Condition. Is It Four? What the 5,000-Child Study Really Found
A viral post says researchers found four distinct autism subtypes. The study is real, published in Nature Genetics. Here are the four groups, the genetics behind them, and why they are a starting point rather than four new diagnoses.
Does the ADHD Brain "Fall Asleep" During the Day? The Local Sleep Study, Explained
A viral post says scientists found ADHD brains produce deep-sleep waves while awake. The study is real and recent. Here is what "local sleep" is, what the EEG actually showed, and why distraction is not laziness.
"Severe Depression Reversed in 7 Days With Magnesium": What the Studies Actually Say
A viral post claims 125-300 mg of magnesium glycinate reverses severe depression in under a week. The claim comes from a 2006 case report. Here is what the randomized trials and the 2023 meta-analysis found, and what that means for you.
OCD Is Not a Lack of Willpower: 36 Genes Just Made the Point
A Nature Neuroscience study sequenced the exomes of nearly 4,000 people with OCD or chronic tic disorders and found 36 large-effect risk genes, most of them shared. What it shows, what it does not, and why a consumer DNA test cannot read any of it.
1 Million Genomes, 1,260 Variants, and DNA Still Explains Under 10% of Your Personality
The largest genetic study of personality ever published found over 1,000 variants. It also found that common DNA explains only 5 to 9% of each trait. Here is what that means if you have a raw DNA file.
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