THE MOLECULE OF MOREDespite the money and even fame that comes from their efforts, they
are usually unhappy. No matter how much they do, it’s never enough.
The family crest of James Bond, the resourceful, relentless, often ruth-
less secret agent, contains the motto Orbit Non Sufficit: The World Is Not
Enough.
Colonel Aldrin faced this problem in a more profound way than
perhaps any human being ever had: I have walked on the surface of the moon.
What could I possibly do to top that?DOPAMINE EXPLAINS THE MYSTERIES OF ADHDWhat about people on the other end of the spectrum, people whose
control dopamine circuits are weak? Their struggle with internal con-
trol manifests itself as impulsivity and difficulty keeping themselves
focused on complex tasks. This problem can result in a familiar condi-
tion: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).^2 Poor focus, con-
centration, and impulse control can severely interfere with their lives,
and it can make them difficult to be with. Sometimes they don’t pay
attention to details, or follow through on tasks. They may start paying
bills, then switch to doing the laundry, then change a light bulb, then sit
down and watch TV with everything strewn all over the place. During
conversations, they can become distracted easily, and not listen to what
people say to them. Sometimes they don’t keep track of time, making
them late, and they may lose things, such as car keys, cell phones, even
passports.
ADHD is seen most often in children, and for good reason. The
frontal lobes, where control dopamine acts, develop last, and do not
fully connect to the rest of the brain until a person finishes adoles-
cence and enters adulthood. One of the jobs of the control circuit is
to keep the desire circuit in check; hence the impulse control problem
2 This illness is commonly called attention deficit disorder, or ADD, because adults
usually don’t have the hyperactivity seen in children. Nevertheless, we’ll use the
scientific term, ADHD.