Neurofeedback can help some kids with ADHD

By Anne Harding

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Training the brains of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) using a technique called neurofeedback can improve their behavior and reduce hyperactivity and impulsivity, according to a team of Swiss and German researchers.

But the strategy doesn't work for every child and shouldn't be thought of as a replacement for drug treatment, Dr. Renate Drechsler of the University of Zurich, the study's lead author, told Reuters Health.

She and her colleagues compared the results of neurofeedback training with those of group training in 30 children 9 to 13 years old with ADHD.

The neurofeedback training began with two weeks of daily sessions on a computer program resembling a game that instructed the children to activate or deactivate activity in a portion of their brain, rewarding them with points if they were successful. The exercises targeted slow patterns of brain electrical activation, known as slow cortical potentials.

After a five-week break, the children moved on to once- or twice-weekly transfer training in which they didn't receive feedback for three weeks. During the break, children were instructed to use a set of red and blue cards to practice brain activation and deactivation in everyday life.

"Impaired control of attention is a core problem in ADHD," Drechsler explained via e-mail. "Neurofeedback is aimed at learning how to regulate cortical activation in order to induce better attentional control, and thereby improve a main symptom directly."

The other children were took part in 14 to 15 group therapy sessions lasting 90 minutes each, with four to five children in each group. The child psychologists used techniques based on cognitive behavioral therapy to train children in social skills, self-awareness, self-management, and other skills.

Parents were encouraged to collaborate in both the neurofeedback and group therapy sessions.