Researchers Exploring Effectiveness of Neurofeedback in ADHD Treatment
By Hugh C. McBride
For many people who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), the concept of control can be a source of significant frustration.
- Young people with ADHD battle to control the hyperactivity that can provoke rebukes from parents, teachers and other caregivers.
- Students with ADHD struggle to control their wandering minds in classroom situations that demand focus.
- Adults with ADHD work to control the impulsivity that threatens to wreak havoc with their personal and professional lives.
But in the world of ADHD, control may not always have to be a combative experience. In fact, an innovative (albeit controversial) treatment technique that teaches patients how to control their brain wave patterns has been identified as an effective means of helping individuals overcome the obstacles presented by ADHD.
Neurofeedback & ADHD
According to a Jan. 7 press release from the Better Brain Center (a neurotherapy clinic in Alexandria, Va.), a technique known as neurofeedback has shown promise as a means of improving concentration and focus among young people and adults who have been diagnosed with ADHD.
In the Dec. 15, 2009, edition of the Washington Post, writer Katherine Ellison reported that one of the nation's leading mental health organizations is investigating whether or not the reality of neurofeedback lives up to its promise:
Proponents claim neurofeedback can help alleviate a broad range of problems, including not only ADHD but anxiety, depression, autism and brain injuries. Yet the costly, time-consuming therapy has long been dogged by skeptics who call it a placebo at best, a rip-off at worst.
Both sides may soon get more clarity. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is sponsoring the first government-funded, peer-reviewed study to [investigate] whether the offbeat therapy makes sense for some of the millions of American children and adults coping with ADHD and similar disorders.
What Is Neurofeedback?
Also known as EEG biofeedback, neurofeedback has been described by EEG International (a private corporation designed to promote the practice) as "a technique in which we train the brain to help improve its ability to regulate all bodily functions and to take care of itself."
According to EEG International, neurofeedback can help people accomplish the following:
- Improve sleep patterns
- Ease anxiety and depression
- Soothe migraine headaches and other forms of chronic pain
- Increase attention and focus
- Manage emotions
"The brain emits different types of waves, depending on whether we are in a focused state or day-dreaming," Siegfried Othmer, Ph.D., chief scientist at the EEG Institute in Woodland Hills, Calif, said in an article by Pamela Miles that appeared in the December/January 2008 edition of ADDitude magazine.
"The goal of neurofeedback is to teach the patient to produce the brain-wave patterns associated with focus," Miles wrote. "The result: Some symptoms of ADHD -- impulsivity, distractibility, and acting out -- diminish."
The Washington Post's Ellison, who wrote that both she and her middle school-aged son have ADHD (and both underwent neurofeedback) described the experience as follows:
In a typical neurofeedback session, a therapist attaches electrodes to your scalp, sending information about your brain's electrical activity to a computer. The computer is programmed to reward you -- with pleasant sounds, for instance -- the more you are able to control your mental states.
My therapist used software displaying a scene of a meadow that bloomed into color and detail, with a soundtrack of chirping birds, whenever I succeeded in staying calm and focused.
Assessing the Effectiveness of Neurofeedback
A June 5, 2008, NIMH release reported that the research into neurofeedback's efficacy with ADHD patients will involve two studies.
The first, which is being conducted under the direction of L. Eugene Arnold, M.D., and Nicholas Lofthouse, Ph.D., of Ohio State University, will consist of the following:
- Researchers will randomly assign 36 boys and girls ages 6 to 12 to receive either EEG neurofeedback in the context of computer games or a placebo EEG treatment.
- During the placebo treatment, the participants will experience pre-programmed game effects that are not affected by their brain wave activity.
- Participants in each group will be randomly assigned to receive their treatment either two or three times a week to assess the effects of treatment frequency.
- All participants will complete 40 treatments in total.
- Parents and teachers of the participants will rate the child's ADHD symptoms regularly.
The second study, which is being led by James Waxmonsky, M.D., of the University of Buffalo, will involve children who have both ADHD and symptoms similar to bipolar disorder (a condition referred to as AIM, or ADHD and Impaired Mood):
- Seventy-two children with AIM ages 7 to 11 will be randomly assigned to receive either the psychosocial treatment combined with ADHD medication treatment or medication alone.
- This study will develop and evaluate psychosocial therapies specifically for children with ADHD and impairments in mood.
- This study will also examine the preferred initial treatment for children with ADHD and impairments in mood.
The researchers also plan to use this study to assess the safety of stimulant medications in this population, the NIMH release reported.
One of Many Treatment Options
In Pamela Miles's 2008 ADDitude article, Cynthia Kerson, the executive director of the International Society for Neurofeedback and Research, said that about 10,000 children in the United States were currently receiving neurofeedback treatments.
Between 75 and 80 percent of those who were receiving the treatments, Kerson said, had "some type of attention deficit condition."
While experts continue to debate the pros and cons of neurofeedback in the treatment of ADHD, a number of other more widely accepted treatment options are available for children, adolescents, teenagers and adults with ADHD.
In general, the NIMH recommends a combination of medication and behavioral therapy, though determining the best course of treatment for any individual with ADHD involves a professional assessment of various personal factors.
If you or someone you love is struggling with ADHD, your best first step is to consult with a qualified expert who can provide a proper diagnosis as well as information on a range of personalized treatment options.