CLOUD Dopamine and the ADHD Brain With Neuroscientist TJ Power!
We know that the ADHD brain operates in some different ways to a neurotypical one, but what’s actually going on inside our brains?
We’re joined today by neuroscientist, international speaker, and author of The DOSE Effect, TJ Power. TJ’s work focuses on small, practical habits that can help us regulate our brain chemistry.
Today we dive into:
- How our dopamine levels differ from a neurotypical brain and what this means for our motivation, concentration and attention span
- How dopamine is connected to hyperfocus
- Changing the narrative of ‘disorder’ and ‘deficit’ to ‘difference’
- TJ’s experience with OCD
- How to find your ADHD ‘superpower’ and flow state
- Task initiation challenges and transition stages
- How dopamine is linked to novelty and impulsivity
- How changing the first 5-10 mins of your morning can affect the whole rest of your day
- The science behind therapies like ice baths and saunas & how they compare to drugs in the brain
We are then joined by clinical nutritionist Georgia Farrar to chat through which foods are best for maintaining focus and attention, which types of foods can exacerbate ADHD symptoms and whether caffeine is good or bad for our brains!
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
2:50 - Differences in ADHD brains
4:30 - The problem with the labels 'disorder' and 'deficit'
6:15 - TJ's experiences with OCD
11:45 - Finding your flow state
14:20 - How social media impacts dopamine
17:00 - Task initiation
19:40 - Dopamine & novelty
21:50 - Waking up and jumping on your phone
30:00 - Procrastination
31:30 - Deliberately reducing our stimulation
39:30 - Ice baths and dopamine
43:50 - Sleep and neurochemicals
46:00 - Nutrition for focus and attention
48:50 - Ultra processed foods
53:20 - Supplements that aid attention and focus
59:55 - Is caffeine good or bad?
You can find more from TJ including his new book from his website
TJ's Instagram
You can find more about ultra processed foods and nutrition advice from Georgia
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