Attention deficit is thought to be due in part to an undersupply of dopamine, one of the brain’s most important neurotransmitters, crucial to attention and to experiencing reward states. The answer is Ritalin. Just as Prozac elevates serotonin levels, Ritalin or other psychostimulants are thought to increase the availability of dopamine in the brain’s prefrontal areas. This is believed to increase motivation and attention by improving the functioning of areas in the prefrontal cortex. Although they carry some truth, such biochemical explanations of complex mental states are dangerous oversimplifications—as the neurologist Antonio Damasio cautions:When it comes to explaining behavior and mind, it is not enough to mention neurochemistry… The problem is that it is not the absence or low amount of serotonin per se that “causes” certain manifestations.