A Case Study in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: An Innovative Neurofeedback-Based Approach

Paloma Cabaleiro,Laura M Cañamero,Marisol Cueli,Paloma González-Castro

doi:10.3390/ijerph19010191

Abstract

In research about attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) there is growing interest in evaluating cortical activation and using neurofeedback in interventions. This paper presents a case study using monopolar electroencephalogram recording (brain mapping known as MiniQ) for subsequent use in an intervention with neurofeedback for a 10-year-old girl presenting predominantly inattentive ADHD. A total of 75 training sessions were performed, and brain wave activity was assessed before and after the intervention. The results indicated post-treatment benefits in the beta wave (related to a higher level of concentration) and in the theta/beta ratio, but not in the theta wave (related to higher levels of drowsiness and distraction). These instruments may be beneficial in the evaluation and treatment of ADHD.

Highlights

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood disorders, affecting between 5.9% and 7.2% of the infant and adolescent population.The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [1] describesADHD as a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity manifesting in children before the age of 12 years old more frequently and with greater severity than expected in children of equivalent ages.Depending on the predominant symptoms, three types of presentation may be identified: predominantly hyperactive-impulsive, predominantly inattentive, and combined
The alteration of brainwaves in specific areas in subjects with ADHD is well documented, and the efficacy of neurofeedback has been observed in various studies, the present study aims to provide a specific procedure for assessment and intervention
Monastra et al [7] showed that the activation profile of subjects with ADHD was similar with no task and during a reading task. This fact may be related to the ADHD profile, in our case study, with 75 neurofeedback sessions, we found no differences in the activation of frontal areas during a specific task, such as reading or mathematics

Summary

Introduction

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood disorders, affecting between 5.9% and 7.2% of the infant and adolescent population.The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [1] describesADHD as a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity manifesting in children before the age of 12 years old more frequently and with greater severity than expected in children of equivalent ages.Depending on the predominant symptoms, three types of presentation may be identified: predominantly hyperactive-impulsive, predominantly inattentive, and combined. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood disorders, affecting between 5.9% and 7.2% of the infant and adolescent population. ADHD as a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity manifesting in children before the age of 12 years old more frequently and with greater severity than expected in children of equivalent ages. There are two theories that attempt to explain the neurophysiological nature and characteristics of ADHD. Mirsky posited a deficit in attention as the main focus in ADHD, such that the failure is found in processes of activation [2]. The other theory was proposed by Barkley, who attributed the problems of ADHD to a deficit in behavioral regulation, where processes associated with the frontal cortex fail [3]

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