[Controversial aspects of the attention deficit disorder]

In the last decades there have been those in favor of recognizing the attention deficit disorder (ADD) as a neurodevelopment entity with a strong neurobiological basis responding to a specific interdisciplinary treatment versus those who think, sustain and defend that the accumulated scientific evidence is not sufficient to justify the disorder as a development anomaly in need of a specific therapeutic outline. The attention model versus the autoregulation model are described. The neurological basis of the disorder is discussed analyzing the use of functional neuroimages such as PET (positron emission tomography), SPECT (single photon emission tomography) and FMR (functional magnetic resonance) neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, neurochemistry of neurotransmitters up to genetics. The importance of an adequate diagnosis is emphasized, analyzing the cognitive areas involved and trying to differentiate the ADD types, and to determine in some cases the phenotype or phenocopy of the disorder. The different treatments advocated are discussed taking into account the interdisciplinary approaches. Finally, a complete analysis of the information available is presented and conclusions are drawn to facilitate the understanding of this disorder.