Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

Document Type

Paper

Publication Date

4-30-2026

Disciplines

Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology

Advisor

Claire Otteson

Abstract

Currently affecting 340-580 million people worldwide, ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects how the brain controls attention, behaviour and impulses often beginning in childhood and continuing into adulthood. ADHD is known to be associated with monoamine neurotransmitters including dopamine. This work aims to uncover the ways in which metabolism of monoamine precursors in the gastrointestinal microbiome influences dopamine release in the brain. Previous studies have indicated that children with ADHD display distinct gut bacteria profiles with unique microbiota species that result in the disruption of monoamine precursor pathways of phenylalanine and tyrosine metabolism. Emphasis on our western diet and the large ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids has shown to exacerbate neuroinflammation and disrupt functions in the blood-brain barrier integrity. By using ADHD brain chemistry as a framework, this research outlines a potential pathway between the gut and brain which involves microbiome composition, amino acid transport, the mesolimbic dopamine signalling pathway, and crossing the blood-brain barrier. Obtaining a deeper understanding of these interconnected pathways could lead to a better understanding of the ways that the food we eat affect not only our metabolism, but also the brain chemistry of those with ADHD. Future research should involve testing a western diet on microbiota metabolism pathways and dopamine-mediated reward processing in the mesolimbic pathway through metagenomics, neuroimaging and dietary intervention trials.

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