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Attentional Deficit, Alcoholism, and P300 Amplitude Two of the largest issues concerning youth in the United States today are psychiatric illness and drug abuse. Increasingly large numbers of young people are being diagnosed with various neurological problems, such as depression, learning disabilities, and behavioral problems. In fact, the incidence of children diagnosed with ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, has risen from 4.4 million in 1997 to six million today. Drug use and abuse amongst young adults …

…other learning disabilities only affect the latency of the waveforms, not their actual amplitude, and this simply speeds up motor functioning. If a drug was developed that could affect the amplitude of the waveforms, than people with ADHD could possibly experience and increase in selective attentional processing that could be incredibly beneficial to their lives. Also, an increase in P3 amplitude would likely help in treated those with alcohol and drug abuse disorders, as well.