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Updated: May 29, 2026

Using Brain Activation (nir-HEG/Q-EEG) and Execution Measures (CPTs) in a ADHD Assessment Protocol
Published on: April 1, 2018
The four causes of ADHD: a framework
Peter R Killeen1, Rosemary Tannock, Terje Sagvolden
1Psychology Department, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA, Killeen@asu.edu.
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.
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