ADHD: Short for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. This condition is characterized by an ongoing pattern of being impulsive (acting without thinking, for instance), inattentive (have trouble staying on task) or hyperactive (fidgeting excessively or seeming overly restless and talkative). Someone can have any or all of these symptoms — and often at a level that tends to get in the way of their functioning effectively.
appetite: A desire to eat or drink, often because of hunger.
attention: The phenomenon of focusing mental resources on a specific object or event.
behavior: The way something (often a person or other organism) conducts itself or acts towards others.
bias: The tendency to hold a particular perspective or preference that favors some thing, some group or some choice. Scientists often “blind” subjects to the details of a test (don’t tell them what it is) so that their biases will not affect the results.
cell: (in biology) The smallest structural and functional unit of an organism. Typically too small to see with the unaided eye, it consists of a watery fluid surrounded by a membrane or wall.
chemical: A substance formed from two or more atoms that unite (bond) in a fixed proportion and structure. For example, water is a chemical made when two hydrogen atoms bond to one oxygen atom. Its chemical formula is H2O. Chemical also can be an adjective to describe properties of materials that are the result of various reactions between different compounds.
clinical: (in medicine) A term that refers to diagnoses, treatments or experiments involving people.
cognitive: A term that relates to mental activities, such as thinking, learning, remembering and solving puzzles.
develop: To emerge or to make come into being, either naturally or through human intervention, such as by manufacturing.
diagnose: To analyze clues or symptoms in the search for their cause. The conclusion usually results in a diagnosis — identification of the causal problem or disease.
disorder: (in medicine) A condition where the body does not work appropriately, leading to what might be viewed as an illness. This term can sometimes be used interchangeably with disease.
dopamine: A neurotransmitter, this chemical helps transmit signals in the brain.
environment: The sum of all of the things that exist around some organism or the process and the condition those things create. Environment may refer to the weather and ecosystem in which some animal lives, or, perhaps, the temperature and humidity (or even the placement of things in the vicinity of an item of interest).
factor: Something that plays a role in a particular condition or event; a contributor.
focus: (in behavior) To look or concentrate intently on some particular point or thing.
gene: (adj. genetic) A segment of DNA that codes, or holds instructions, for a cell’s production of a protein. Offspring inherit genes from their parents. Genes influence how an organism looks and behaves.
genetic: Having to do with chromosomes, DNA and the genes contained within DNA. The field of science dealing with these biological instructions is known as genetics. People who work in this field are geneticists.
hunter-gatherer: A cultural group that feeds itself through hunting, fishing and gathering wild produce (such as nuts, seeds, fruits, leaves, roots and other edible plant parts). They can be somewhat nomadic and do not rely on agriculture for their foods.
impulsive: (n. impulsivity) Quick to act; not willing to wait. Not waiting for deliberation or a weighing of consequences.
infection: A disease that can spread from one organism to another. It’s usually caused by some type of microbe.
insight: The ability to gain an accurate and deep understanding of a situation just by thinking about it, instead of working out a solution through experimentation.
lead: A toxic heavy metal (abbreviated as Pb) that in the body moves to where calcium wants to go (such as bones and teeth). The metal is particularly toxic to the brain. In a child’s developing brain, it can permanently impair IQ, even at relatively low levels.
norepinephrine: A type of stress hormone secreted by the adrenal glands. It constricts blood vessels. It also increases the force and rate at which the heart contracts.
pediatrician: A doctor who works in the field of medicine that has to do with children and especially child health.
peer: (noun) Someone who is an equal, based on age, education, status, training or some other features. (verb) To look into something, searching for details.
psychiatrist: A medical doctor who spends many years learning to study and treat diseases of the human mind. Treatments may consist of talking therapies, prescription drugs or both. This medical field is known as psychiatry.
psychologist: A scientist or mental-health professional who studies the mind, especially in relation to actions and behaviors. Some work with people. Others may conduct experiments with animals (usually rodents) to test how their minds respond to different stimuli and conditions.
questionnaire: A list of identical questions administered to a group of people to collect related information on each of them. The questions may be delivered by voice, online or in writing. Questionnaires may elicit opinions, health information (like sleep times, weight or items in the last day’s meals), descriptions of daily habits (how much exercise you get or how much TV do you watch) and demographic data (such as age, ethnic background, income and political affiliation).
side effects: Unintended problems or harm caused by a procedure or treatment.
social worker: Someone who has been trained to help others who face some type of limitations or challenges. Those challenges may be mental, physical, financial or social (their ability to interact effectively with others).
STEM: An acronym (abbreviation made using the first letters of a term) for science, technology, engineering and math.
subtle: Adjective for something that may be important, but can be hard to see or describe. For instance, the first cellular changes that signal the start of a cancer may be only subtly different — as in small and hard to distinguish from nearby healthy tissues.
therapy: (adj. therapeutic) Treatment intended to relieve or heal a disorder.
toxic: Poisonous or able to harm or kill cells, tissues or whole organisms. The measure of risk posed by such a poison is its toxicity.
trait: A characteristic feature of something. (in genetics) A quality or characteristic that can be inherited.