Symposium

Complementary Integrative Rehabilitation Medicine

Brain Injury

Pediatric Rehabilitation

Neurofeedback for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Evidence Base and Results of a Large RCT (824211)

Presenter(s)

• 

  Roger J. deBeus, PhD

  Research Assistant Professor
  University of North Carolina at Asheville
  Asheville, North Carolina

  Presentation Slides Presentation + Audio

Non-presenting Author(s)

• 

  L. Eugene Arnold, MD

  Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry
  The Ohio State University
  Sunbury, Ohio

Treatments with long-term benefit for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are needed. One of the more promising is Neurofeedback (EEG Biofeedback; NF), which has several randomized controlled trials showing significant benefit, but which are inconclusive because they were not double-blinded; the benefit could have been nonspecific (placebo response). Because of Neurofeedback’s labor-intensive cost, it is important to know how much specific benefit it yields. This presentation will review and critique the evidence base for neurofeedback as treatment for ADHD and unveil preliminary results of an NIMH-funded double-blind 2-site randomized clinical trial (RCT) designed to address flaws of previous studies.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the hypothesized mechanism of neurofeedback training to improve cognitive and behavioral performance by modifying abnormal EEG waves.
• Discuss meta-analysis of published randomized controlled trials of neurofeedback for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
• Describe how previous studies are flawed to detect a specific effect of neurofeedback beyond the nonspecific benefit of many contacts and concerted effort.
• Learn the preliminary results of an NIH-funded double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial of neurofeedback for ADHD.