title: The four causes of ADHD: a framework.
abstract: In addition to the symptoms singled out by the diagnostic criteria for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a comprehensive definition should inform us of the events that trigger ADHD in both its acute and chronic manifestations; the neurobiology that underlies it; and the evolutionary forces that have kept it in the germ line of our species. These factors are organized in terms of Aristotle's four kinds of "causes," or explanations: formal, efficient, material, and final. This framework systematizes the nosology, biology, psychology, and evolutionary pressures that cause ADHD.
authors.affiliation: Psychology Department, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA, Killeen@asu.edu.
authors.forename: Peter R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Killeen
authors.forename: Rosemary
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tannock
authors.forename: Terje
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sagvolden
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D009446:Neurobiology; D017603:Signal Detection, Psychological