A randomised control investigation of combined cognitive and neurofeedback training for children with AD/HD

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event A randomised control investigation of combined cognitive and neurofeedback training for children with AD/HD Stuart J. Johnstone1*, Steven Roodenrys1, Kirsten Johnson1 and Rebecca Bonfield1 1 University of Wollongong, School of Psychology, Australia Objectives: There is increasing evidence that working memory and inhibitory control training can lead to behavioural improvement in children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD). State-regulation theories of AD/HD suggest that an inability to adjust energetic state level, and consequent executive functioning issues, are at the core of the disorder. Accordingly, the present study examined the efficacy of a combined cognitive and neurofeedback training program for children with AD/HD using a randomised control design. Methods: The final sample consisted of 80 children aged 7-12 years, 40 in the training and 40 in the waitlist (WL) condition. Training consisted of cognitive and neurofeedback tasks and took place in the childrens' home, with participants required to complete between 20 and 25 sessions over a 6-8 week period. Outcomes examined included questionnaires assessing AD/HD symptom severity and frequency, performance on a digit span and counting span task, and EEG topography and power during several basic EEG tasks including resting eyes-open and eyes-closed. Results: Compared to the WL condition, children in the training condition showed significant reductions in AD/HD symptoms overall and specifically for the hyperactivity/impulsivity symptom of AD/HD. EEG power showed typical AD/HD topographical differences at Time 1, while post-training there was evidence of a directional trend towards EEG normalisation for children in the training condition. Conclusions: Overall the results provide support for the efficacy of a combined cognitive and neurofeedback training program for children with AD/HD. Acknowledgements The authors thank the parents and children who participated in this study. Keywords: ADHD, Neurofeedback Training, EEG, Inhibition (Psychology), working memory training Conference: ASP2015 - 25th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Psychophysiology, Sydney, Australia, 2 Dec - 4 Dec, 2015. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Psychophysiology Citation: Johnstone SJ, Roodenrys S, Johnson K and Bonfield R (2015). A randomised control investigation of combined cognitive and neurofeedback training for children with AD/HD. Conference Abstract: ASP2015 - 25th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Psychophysiology. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2015.219.00022 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 11 Oct 2015; Published Online: 30 Nov 2015. * Correspondence: Dr. Stuart J Johnstone, University of Wollongong, School of Psychology, Wollongong, NSW, 2522, Australia, sjohnsto@uow.edu.au Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Stuart J Johnstone Steven Roodenrys Kirsten Johnson Rebecca Bonfield Google Stuart J Johnstone Steven Roodenrys Kirsten Johnson Rebecca Bonfield Google Scholar Stuart J Johnstone Steven Roodenrys Kirsten Johnson Rebecca Bonfield PubMed Stuart J Johnstone Steven Roodenrys Kirsten Johnson Rebecca Bonfield Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.