Neurotransmitters are chemicals that help brain cells “talk” to each other, controlling thoughts and feelings. Dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine are all neurotransmitters.
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Yes, and no. Whether supplements can help with your ADHD depends on where the support need is for you when it comes to your dopamine system.
Hypervigilance is a state of heightened, sustained alertness where your nervous system stays oriented toward detecting threat, even when no real danger is present. It can feel like being permanently on-edge, bracing for something you can't name. In neurodivergent adults, hypervigilance often extends beyond physical danger into social monitoring: tracking unspoken rules, reading tone, watching for signs you've got it wrong. It is a human response, not a neurodivergent one, but it shows up with particular frequency and particular cost in autistic and ADHD adults.
Neuroplasticity is the brain's capacity to change its own wiring. Neurons form new synaptic connections, strengthen existing ones, and through synaptic pruning remove the ones that don't get used. This process is most active during childhood and adolescence, but it continues throughout adulthood and old age.
The vagus nerve is a bundle of nerve fibres in your body. It runs from the brainstem down through the neck and into the chest and abdomen. It branches out to the heart, lungs, airways, stomach, liver, intestines, and most of the digestive tract. It is the longest cranial nerve in the body. Roughly 80% of what it carries is sensory information travelling upward. The vagus nerve reports to your brain about what is happening in your organs. In recent years, the vagus nerve has become a fixture of wellness content. Many techniques, including cold showers, humming, and gargling, are promoted as ways to “stimulate” or “tone” it. Some of this is supported by research, but many of the easy-fix claims are exaggerated. And for neurodivergent people in particular, some of the advice is actively unhelpful.
The gut-brain axis is the two-way communication system between your digestive tract and your brain. It runs on nerves, neurotransmitters, immune signals, and microbial chemistry, and it's a large part of the reason why so many neurodivergent people have persistent stomach problems which are often not even connected to their neurodivergence.
Related Questions
“Can supplements help with ADHD?”
Related Glossary Terms
hypervigilance
neuroplasticity
vagus nerve
gut-brain axis



dopamine system