Neurofeedback: An ADHD Treatment That Retrains the Brain?

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I have been "taking" neurofeedback since last winter and am nearly finished. The article says the child/participant is “concentrating on sending the kind of brain waves..." On the contrary, what I found right away is that no amount of conscious effort makes a bit of difference in what the game "does."
The clinician I have been working with explained that the brain function being affected is completely outside of my capacity to notice it. This is why those of us whose brains are dysregulated are unable to regulate them by an act of will or by practice or effort. If we could do that, we would not be impaired to begin with.
Unless the article writer has found a new kind of neurofeedback, the description is in error. It turned out to be a great relief to know, finally, what I had long known without validation: trying does not help, and willpower is overrated by the people whose brains work right. They *think* they are using will power, but their brains just do things right, more easily.

Betsy Davenport, PhD of OR 3:51AM October 08, 2009

Neuro therapy feedback does sound promising, and it's worthwhile for people to find out about new solutions and approaches to this and other mental challenges, so thank you for bringing light to this. The biggest difficulty I see with it is that of cost, and time which will make it unworkable for many.
Speaking of new developments and natural solutions, recently (Sept 1st 2009) a very different kind of beverage was released. It is known as a think-drink, and was formulated by Dr. Kyl Smith, the author of Brighter Mind- and is not only completely natural, but has many years of research behind it with real benefits that can be felt.
Dr. Kyl was the former inventor of Focus Factor or years past, and more research and beneficial changes have been made to this newer product, which is a drink formulated to improve mood, energy, and concentration- even for average people.
While those are big statements, they backed up with over 1,400 scientific peer reviews in his book. Though it is sweet, there are NO sugars or artificial sweeteners in this drink. (using Stevia, a natural herb) Can be found at http://focusuponline.com
Dr. Kyl has a passion around naturally treating disorders, including ADHA, and generally getting the brain at it's peak efficiency. The interesting thing is that he says the average American is under-consuming the very specific nutrients that would optimize the brain.
So, many with no specific difficulty are taking this just to feel on top of their game- without side effects, sugar damage, and weight gain.

Tim of MO 10:11PM September 15, 2009

It is interesting that Russell Barkley, who for years has pooh-poohed neurofeedback, has actually uttered a seme-supportive statement, but still won't go so far as to recommend Neurofeedbak. It is well known that Barkley is heavily financed by the pharmaceutical company that makes Ritalin. I expect he will never recommend any alternative treatment because he is paid to support medication therapy for ADHD.
Nice Article

Jeffrey Wilson, PhD of CA 1:51PM September 14, 2009

To quote the article regarding the neurofeedback research: "They have noted that most studies showing benefits have been run by investigators with a financial stake". Why, then, is it acceptable to interview ADHD expert Dr. Barkley who is paid large sums by the pharmaceutical industry and who continues to damn neurofeedback with faint praise despite mounting evidence of its effectiveness?
The neurofeedback field is not able to mount the large scale expensive studies that the drug companies do, therefore it is viewed as experimental by the insurance companies and mostly uncovered. This is regrettable, as it would save millions on health care costs. Our neurofeedback clinic specializes in migraine headaches and our research finds that 70% of clients experience at least a 50% reduction in the frequency of their headaches 15 months after treatment. Our clients are able to discontinue their rescue and abortive medications- good news for them and the insurance companies but not so good for the drug companies. As our study and others using neurofeedback are published on pain syndromes, I fully expect another Russell Barkley type to be trotted out by big pharma to discredit our work.

Deborah Stokes of VA 9:47AM September 14, 2009

The article should lead parents to websites that can help them learn more about the approach and the results of treatment that can be expected.
Marvin Berman, Ph.D. www.quietmindfdn.org

Marvin Berman PhD. of PA 7:54PM September 13, 2009

I hereby want to correct a couple of statements by Gerald Erenberg as listed in the comments below.
The meta-analysis on neurofeedback was NOT an invited paper, but submitted to Clinical EEG and Neuroscience. Furthermore, this paper WAS peer reviewed.
Furthermore, our company Brainclinics does NOT manufacture any products. Our main activity consists of treating patients and performing applied research, and a smaller activity is that we offer some products to clients and colleagues (however, we do not manufacture any products).
The meta-analysis was written together with several researchers from universities such as Tubingen University and the University of Nijmegen. All researchers on this paper agree and subscribe to the conclusions put forward in the paper we published.
When interested in this article I can E-mail it, my contact details can be found on http://www.brainclinics.com
The reference to the German study is:
Gevensleben, H., Holl, B., Albrecht, B., Vogel, C., Schlamp, D., Kratz, O., Studer, P., Rothenberger, A., Moll, G., & Heinrich, H. (in press, 2009). Is neurofeedback an efficacious treatment for AHD? A randomized controlled clinical trial. The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
And the reference to the meta-analysis is:
Martijn Arns, Sabine de Ridder, Ute Strehl, Marinus Breteler & Anton Coenen (2009) Efficacy of Neurofeedback treatment in ADHD: The effects on Inattention, Impulsivity and Hyperactivity: A meta-analysis. Clinical EEG and Neuroscience, 40: 180-189.

Martijn Arns 6:08AM September 13, 2009

My son was diagnosed with ADHD at 7years old. he has no learning disabiliies but would not complete homework assignments, disruptive in class, attention seeking always alot of work.
My son was diagnosed with ADHD at 7 years old and it has been a long road to find the right therapy to help him.
He was treated with multiple medications but due to side effects none seemed to work well and they were just a patch as none really made a difference.
The last school year in 7th grade was an especially difficult one. I decided to try Neurofeedback this past summer 2009, as a last resort to avoid a new medication before school restarted in the fall.
He completed a total of 25 sessions of neurofeedback . After about the 10th session I was able to see a difference in his behavior, much calmer, by the 20th he was ever better and I saw an emerging person. Either this was helping him or by coincidence he was maturing overnight.
He is no longer on medications and is doing well . So far, he is keeping up with his schoolwork independently, no notes or complaints from teachers. He is less foregetful, less careless and completes tasks with minimal reminders since the therapy.
I can say he is much calmer, able to focus better and less reactive in situations. I definately see the benefits of this treatment as I have watched him develop over the years.
I am a Family Nurse Practitioner in Florida and I feel that the cost was well worth the improvement I see in my child. I would rather invest now when he is young and self-esteem and peer relations are important. More research needs to be conducted in the US so that other children can benefit from this therapy as a treatment modality covered by insurance companies. I felt my money was well spent and am greatful to have found Neurofeedback. therapy for my son.

Alicia of FL 5:45PM September 12, 2009

The author needs to do a little more research. There were several studies of neurofeedback that compared it to medication, with equal results.
There was also a multi-site study with over 250 participants showing significant changes. Other studies have used objective testing to demonstrate the effectiveness of neurofeedback training.
The fact that insurance doesn't cover neurofeedback isn't related to whether it works or not, it is an issue of insurance practices. Pressure on insurance companies to cover neurofeedback would eliminate this concern and make it available for parents who wish to avoid medicating their children for whatever reason.
Finally, with improved practices, clients usually need fewer sessions. So the figures based on 60 sessions are no longer valid. Most clients receive fewer than 40 sessions and many are finished with training after 20-30 sessions.
John

John Anderson of MN 7:14PM September 11, 2009

The use of neurofeedback by itself fails to answer many questions. Does training brainwave patterns insure that a child will filter out distractions? Become more organized? Use memory better? No. These are skills that must be taught if they are to be learned. So, can neurofeedback improve attention. NASA used it to do so. Most of the research suggests it can. But to say it can do far more than this is quite facile.
My wife and I opted to use cognitive training for our son, Alex. We used Play Attention (www.playattention.com) and ADHD Nanny (www.adhdnanny.com). We've been very successful with these approaches. We also changed our parenting skills with great success.
It's just important to know that medicine teaches nothing. Parents and teachers must actively participate to help change a child's life.

john glennon of NC 4:54PM September 11, 2009

And ought it not be mentioned that Jensen and Barkley are paid many thousands of dollars per year to promote medications for kids despite the fact the the largest, most expensive study ever conducted on the topic has proven they have no long term benefit over non-medication treatments?

Kirk Little of OH 4:06PM September 11, 2009