
About Strattera
What is Strattera?
(Pronounced Stra-tair-a)
Strattera is the first and only non-stimulant medication approved by the US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in
children, adolescents, and adults. Strattera is a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, a class of ADHD
treatment that works differently from the other ADHD medications available. Strattera is available by
prescription only.
Sometimes I feel smart, sometimes I feel dumb, sometimes I feel partially Autistic. The following
relates these things to small cortical columns.
What about other scientists? Manuel Casanova from the University of Louisville, Kentucky, studied
post-mortem brain tissue from three eminent scientists and found that there were interesting patterns
in the arrangement of cortical neurons (Autism, vol 11, p 557). The smallest processing module of
neurons in the cortex is called a minicolumn--a vertical arrangement of cells that seem to work as a
team. The scientists' minicolumns were smaller than those of controls, with less space between cells,
meaning there were more processing units within any given cortical area. Computer modelling
suggests that smaller processing units may allow for better signal detection and more focused
attention. Small minicolumns are also seen in people with autism and Asperger's syndrome, says
Casanova.
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