The Dopamine Deficit: Understanding Under-Arousal in ADHD and Anxiety

Your brain's frontal lobe manages everything that makes you uniquely human—focus, emotional control, planning, and decision-making. But what happens when this crucial brain region isn't firing on all cylinders?

This isn't about laziness or lack of willpower—it's about a brain that physically cannot generate enough activity to function optimally, particularly in the prefrontal cortex.

At the heart of this condition often lies a dopamine regulation problem. 

Read the whole article version "The Underaroused Brain: Why Dopamine Matters—and What You Can Do About It" here

Ready to learn how to naturally support your brain's dopamine system? Don't miss Part 2 of this illuminating series.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 0 (00:32):
the under-aroused brain, why dopamine matters and
what you can do about it.
Hi, this is Dr Randy Kale, andin today's episode we're diving
into a crucial but oftenoverlooked brain state that I
see frequently in myneurofeedback practice.
Thank you for joining us.
The brain state I am referringto is called under-arousal, and

(00:52):
it may be one of the mostcritical brain patterns to
understand if you or your childstruggles with attention,
motivation, adhd, panic oranxiety attacks, ocd, as well as
emotional ups and downs or evenanxiety.
Now, this isn't just a label Itoss around casually.
Under arousal is a documentedneurological condition

(01:12):
repeatedly confirmed by brainimaging like fMRI, qeeg and
SPECT scans.
It shows up most often in theprefrontal cortex, the part of
the brain responsible forexecutive functions like focus,
planning, emotional control andimpulse regulation.
When the brain is under-aroused, these functions go offline,

(01:32):
and here's the key At the coreof this under-aroused state is
often a dopamine problem Notalways, but it is one component
you can begin to manage betterfor you or your child.
Let's unpack that.
What exactly is under-arousal?
Under-arousal means the brain,particularly the frontal lobe,
isn't generating or maintainingenough activity to function at

(01:53):
its best From a neurologicalperspective.
The lights are on, but dim andnot well regulated.
This isn't generating ormaintaining enough activity to
function at its best From aneurological perspective.
The lights are on, but dim andnot well regulated.
This isn't just about beingunfocused, distractible or
anxious.
It is more than that.
It's about the front lobe ofthe brain, which manages all
things human.
That is idling rather thanfocusing, processing, managing

(02:14):
emotions, making wise choices,etc.
The engine is ready, but theaccelerator cannot activate the
frontal lobe enough to thrive.
This often shows up in childrenas ADHD, distractibility,
impulsivity, daydreaming,anxiety, worry, ocd or emotional
meltdowns.
In adults it may look like allof the above and perhaps more

(02:35):
chronic procrastination, brainfog, low motivation and that
constant feeling of being onestep behind in life.
Here's the part most peoplemiss.
These are not personality flaws.
They're symptoms of a brainthat cannot stimulate the
frontal lobe adequately.
That problem, as seen in theQEEG mapping, is often tied to
low or poorly regulated dopamine.
The dopamine under arousalconnection.

(02:56):
So what is dopamine exactly?
Is often tied to low or poorlyregulated dopamine the dopamine
under arousal connection.
So what is dopamine exactly?
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter,one of the brain's chemical
messengers, and plays a centralrole in motivation, reward,
anticipation, energy, pleasure,focus and emotional resilience.
We feel alert, focused andcapable.

(03:17):
When dopamine is available andbalanced, we can plan, follow
through and enjoy the processalong the way.
But when dopamine is low or notused properly by the brain,
everything starts to slip.
Tasks feel overwhelming, joyfeels distant, focus feels
impossible and emotionalreactivity tends to increase.
And this is what underarousalmeans.
On a chemical level, the brainisn't receiving the dopamine it

(03:38):
needs to maintain optimalfunction in the frontal lobes.
These regions help us resistimpulses, calm ourselves when
overwhelmed and hold steady,organized thinking throughout
the day.
Now, in traditional medicine,this underarousal is sometimes
managed with stimulantmedications, because these do
boost dopamine temporarily, butthey also come with risks, side

(03:59):
effects, tolerance, dependencyand often a return of symptoms
when the medication wears off.
What's more, these medicationsdon't teach the brain to
self-regulate.
They only mask the issue for aslong as the chemical is present
.
In our practice, we do thingsdifferently.
At Capital DistrictNeurofeedback, we use real-time
neurofeedback feedback toretrain the brain to generate

(04:20):
more stable and appropriateactivation levels in these
frontal networks.
And yes, this includes trainingthe brain to regulate dopamine
more effectively over time.
However, we also coach ourclients on naturally supporting
dopamine to get the best results.
In Part 2 of this series, youwill learn about common
strategies to enhance youravailable dopamine without
medication or psychotherapy.

(04:40):
Please check it out here.
Thank you.