Brain training improves focus in people with ADHD

New research has shown that brain training based on the principle of “neurofeedback” allows people with attention deficit disorder (ADHD) to improve their ability to concentrate.

Scientists at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG), Switzerland, have explored a new technique called “neurofeedback,” which allows ADHD patients to train their attention.

Training had a positive effect on patients’ concentration abilities, and improvement in attention was closely related to an improved P3 wave response of brain activity which is known to reflect the integration of l information in the brain. Higher P3 amplitudes indicate greater attention to detected targets.

The results were published in the journal Clinical neurophysiology.

A non-pharmacological approach

ADHD involves difficulty in attention, concentration and impulsivity, and is characterized by a deficiency of dopamine, a neurotransmitter involved in executive functions.

Marie-Pierre Deiber, researcher in the Department of Psychiatry of the Faculty of Medicine of UNIGE and in the Division of Psychiatric Specialties of the HUG, declared: “These disorders mostly persist into adulthood and lead to functional problems. relational and socio-professional, which makes it easier for people with this disorder to turn to alcohol or drugs.

Today ADHD is treated with drugs that increase the concentration of dopamine, are used for ADHD to improve the patient’s attention, which is often combined with psychotherapy as the disorder is often accompanied by depression, d anxiety or even bipolar disorder.

“However, pharmaceutical treatments can be accompanied by significant side effects, such as nervousness, sleep disturbances, but also an increased risk of developing other psychiatric disorders or cardiovascular diseases”, explains Roland Hasler, researcher at the HUG Psychiatric Specialties Division. “This is why we wanted to study a completely non-pharmacological and non-invasive treatment based on the principle of“ neurofeedback ”.

Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback is a type of neurocognitive intervention based on training “real-time” brain signals.

The team used an electroencephalogram (EEG) with 64 sensors to capture the electrical activity of cortical neurons and focus their analysis on the spontaneous Alpha rhythm (with a frequency of around 10 Hertz), coupling its fluctuation in amplitude to a video game that patients can control with the power of their attention.

“The goal of neurofeedback is to make patients aware of times when they are no longer paying attention. With practice, brain networks then “learn” to reduce attention losses through neuroplasticity, ”said Tomas Ros, researcher at the Department of Fundamental Neurosciences at the Faculty of Medicine of UNIGE and at the Imaging Center. biomedical (CIBM).

To measure the effects of neurofeedback training, the team administered an attention test to 25 adults with ADHD and 22 neurotypical adults, which showed that initially ADHD patients did more. errors and had a more variable reaction time than control participants, in line with an altered attention signature. After 30 minutes of neurofeedback training, participants took the attention test again.

Deiber said, “The first finding was that stimulus detection and response variability were improved, indicating improved attention. But what interested us most was the impact of neurofeedback training on the P3 component, which has previously been shown to be reduced in ADHD, and directly related to neurocognitive processing of the stimulus.

“The amplitude of P3 increased significantly after neurofeedback training and was directly associated with a reduction in the number of errors made by patients,” added Ros.

This study demonstrated that a single 30-minute session of neurofeedback can induce short-term plasticity in the brain and encourage attentional improvements in ADHD patients.

It also supports the existence of an electrophysiological marker of attentional processing in ADHD.

Nader Perroud, professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Faculty of Medicine of UNIGE and in the Division of Psychiatric Specialties at HUG, underlined: “Thus, P3 could be a cerebral signature that would allow us to better understand the neurocognitive mechanisms of ADHD. .

Scientists plan to perform neurofeedback treatment based on multiple training sessions to observe whether the plasticity of the brain strengthens over time.