Is Neurodivergence Real? A Neuroscientist's Perspective
The question sounds provocative, but it misses the point entirely. Of course neurodivergence is real. The better question is: What does it actually mean, and why should we care?
After mapping over 25,000 brains, I can tell you this: The patterns we call ADHD, autism, anxiety disorders, and other neurodivergent presentations aren't arbitrary labels. They're consistent neurobiological phenotypesârecurring patterns of brain activity that show up again and again in the data.
But here's what most people get wrong about neurodivergence: It's not about being broken. It's about understanding how your specific brain works.
Neurodivergence as Natural Phenotype
Think of ADHD like being bald. It happens. It's natural. It affects a consistent minority of the population (around 5-8%), and it keeps persisting across generations. If it were truly maladaptive, evolution would have filtered it out millennia ago.
This persistence suggests these patterns serve some adaptive function. The hypervigilant, novelty-seeking ADHD brain might have been the one that spotted predators first or discovered new food sources. The intensely focused, pattern-detecting autistic brain might have been the one that figured out which plants were poisonous or how to track seasonal changes.
We see this clearly in brain imaging. ADHD brains consistently show specific patterns: underactivation in the anterior cingulate cortex (leading to attention regulation issues) and differences in dopaminergic signaling in the prefrontal cortex (affecting executive function and reward processing). These aren't random variationsâthey're coherent, predictable phenotypes.
The Neurobiological Reality
When I map a brain, I'm looking at electrical activity patterns across different regions. Neurodivergent presentations show up as distinct signatures:
The "Hot" Anterior Cingulate: Some brains run excessive activity in this region, creating hyperfocus and mental rigidity. You get stuck in thought loops. You can't let go of mistakes. You ruminate. This pattern often underlies obsessive tendencies and certain forms of anxiety.
Hyperactive Right Temporoparietal Junction: This region processes emotional and sensory information from the environment. When it runs hot, you're drinking in everythingâevery emotional nuance, every sensory detail, every subtle shift in mood around you. This creates the highly sensitive person phenotype.
Frontal Midline Theta Excess: This pattern correlates with internal mental activityâsongs stuck in your head, repetitive thoughts, nail-biting, fidgeting. It's not pathological; it's just how some brains process information.
These patterns are measurable, reproducible, and predictive. They're as real as blood pressure or heart rate.
Beyond the Bell Curve
Here's the critical insight most people miss: The goal isn't to make everyone average.
When someone comes to me for brain training, I'm not trying to normalize them. I'm trying to optimize them. There's a crucial difference between being weird and being dysregulated.
If you have an intensely focused, detail-oriented brain that sometimes gets stuck in loops, that's not necessarily a problem. It might be your superpower. The question is: Can you access that focus when you want it and shift away from it when you need to? If yes, you're just weird. Good job. Be weird.
If noâif you're stuck in thought loops that interfere with sleep, relationships, or productivityâthen we have a regulation issue to address.
The Disregulation vs. Difference Framework
This distinction matters enormously. Not every neurodivergent pattern needs intervention. Many just need understanding and accommodation.
Disregulation looks like:
- Inability to shift attention when circumstances require it
- Sensory sensitivity that prevents normal functioning
- Executive dysfunction that interferes with basic life tasks
- Emotional volatility that damages relationships
Natural variation looks like:
- Different optimal environments for focus and productivity
- Unique strengths in pattern recognition or creative thinking
- Alternative social communication styles
- Intense interests that don't impair overall functioning
Brain mapping helps us distinguish between these. When I see frontal underactivation in someone who can't initiate tasks, that's disregulation we can train. When I see the same pattern in someone who's built a successful career around their particular cognitive style, that's just how their brain works.
The Clinical Reality
In my clinical work, I see this constantly. Parents bring in kids labeled as ADHD, convinced something is wrong. Often, the child just has a brain that needs more stimulation to focus optimally. Give them fidget tools, movement breaks, and engaging material, and they perform brilliantly.
Other times, I see genuine disregulationâkids who want to focus but can't, who become distressed by their inability to control their attention or behavior. These brains benefit from targeted training to strengthen regulatory circuits.
The key is functional assessment. Are the patterns interfering with the person's goals and well-being? If not, there's nothing to "fix."
Evolutionary Perspectives
The persistence of neurodivergent patterns across populations and time suggests they serve adaptive functions. Research in anthropological genetics indicates that ADHD-associated genes show signatures of positive selection in populations with nomadic histories (Chen et al., 1999, American Journal of Human Genetics).
This makes evolutionary sense. The restless, novelty-seeking, risk-taking ADHD brain might struggle in modern classrooms but could have been invaluable in hunter-gatherer societies. The intensely systematic, detail-focused autistic brain might find modern social demands overwhelming but could have been crucial for tool-making or tracking environmental patterns.
We see similar patterns in other traits. The DRD4-7R allele associated with ADHD correlates with exploratory behavior and migration patterns throughout human history. These aren't bugs in the human operating systemâthey're features that served specific ecological niches.
The Neurofeedback Approach
When we do identify disregulation, neurofeedback offers a way to train more flexible control over these patterns. We're not erasing the underlying phenotypeâwe're teaching the brain to access different states as needed.
For someone with chronic anterior cingulate overactivation, we might train them to downregulate that region when flexibility is needed while maintaining their natural capacity for sustained focus. For someone with sensory processing challenges, we might strengthen filtering mechanisms in the thalamus while preserving their sensitivity when it serves them.
The goal is optimization, not normalization. Enhanced control, not elimination of natural variation.
Implications for Society
This framework has profound implications for how we structure society. Instead of forcing neurodivergent individuals to conform to neurotypical norms, we should be creating environments that allow different brain types to contribute their unique strengths.
The hyperfocused programmer who revolutionizes software architecture. The hypervigilant security analyst who spots threats others miss. The emotionally sensitive therapist who intuits what clients need. These aren't consolation prizesâthey're genuine competitive advantages that emerge from neurodivergent wiring.
We need educational systems that accommodate different learning styles. Workplaces that offer varied environments and expectations. Social structures that value different forms of contribution.
The Bottom Line
Neurodivergence is absolutely real. It's measurable in brain activity, consistent across populations, and persistent across evolutionary time. But it's not inherently pathological.
The real question isn't whether these patterns existâit's how we can help each person optimize their particular neurobiological setup. Some brains need training to develop better regulation. Others just need better environments to express their natural capabilities.
Your brain is the only one you've got. Understanding its specific patternsâits strengths, challenges, and optimal operating conditionsâis one of the most valuable investments you can make.
Whether you're neurotypical or neurodivergent, the goal is the same: figure out how your brain works best, then structure your life accordingly. That's not accommodationâthat's just good strategy.