Why are ADHD and epilepsy so often linked?

People with epilepsy are 2.7x more likely to have ADHD.

I've wanted to explore the relationship between epilepsy and neurodiversity.

The more I've read, the more I realised there are so many connections that aren't widely talked about.

So I decided to start digging into the research.

The first topic I wanted to cover today was the link between epilepsy and ADHD.

Something I found interesting is that symptoms like inattention, forgetfulness or difficulty concentrating aren't always straightforward.

They can sometimes be related to ADHD, but they can also overlap with medication side effects, seizure recovery or brain fog, which is one reason these conversations are so important.

Disclaimer: I have a neuroscience degree, but I'm not a researcher or doctor.

I just want to make the science simpler for people to understand.

Yet most people with epilepsy are never told that there's a potential link of epilepsy and ADHD.

Why does this surprise so many people?

ADHD symptoms are often mistaken for: Brain fog medication side effects seizure recovery stress anxiety for many, these symptoms are blamed on epilepsy or medication.

ADHD is ruled out.

ADHD affects much more than attention it’s a neurodevelopmental condition, that affects: Organisation – difficulty following through, or organising tasks.

Hyperactivity & executive functioning – restlessness, fidgeting, difficulty staying still, and working memory difficulties impulse control – acting without thinking through consequences; interrupting, rushing decisions.

Source: Icd-11, world health organization 2019 why many adults weren't diagnosed until later in life for decades, ADHD was treated as something children outgrew.

It was only recognised in adults in the dsm-5 in 2013.

But why?

Children were the focus symptoms look different in adults many adults were simply labelled as distracted or anxious some people are more likely to have both people whose epilepsy started in childhood people with more frequent seizures people with certain epilepsy syndromes & family history people with intellectual or developmental disability association doesn’t mean causation ❌ epilepsy causes ADHD ❌ ADHD causes epilepsy ✅ but they are linked more often than expected context: The science is not developed enough to conclusively prove it yet meta-analyses often pool unreliable, heterogenous studies together 3 brain pathways could link them dopamine dysregulation – both conditions involve disrupted dopamine signalling, affecting attention, impulse control, and seizure threshold.

Frontal lobe dysfunction – the prefrontal cortex governs executive function — impaired in both ADHD and many epilepsy syndromes.

Shared genetic variants – overlapping gene mutations (e.g.

Scn1a, bdnf) increase susceptibility to both conditions simultaneously.

Source: Https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27412639/ if you or a loved one have epilepsy and struggle with: ✓ organisation ✓ attention ✓ impulsivity ✓ forgetfulness talk to your/their neurologist or GP.

ADHD is more common than many people realise.

Screening can change lives