RESUMEN
Objective: : To examine the effect of mobile neurofeedback training on the clinical symptoms, attention abilities, and execution functions of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methods: : The participants were 74 children with ADHD aged 8-15 years who visited the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Seoul National University Children's Hospital. The participants were randomly assigned to the mobile neurofeedback (n = 35) or control (sham; n = 39) group. Neurofeedback training was administered using a mobile app (equipped with a headset with a 2-channel electroencephalogram [EEG] sensor) for 30 min/day, 3 days/week, for 3 months. Children with ADHD were individually administered various neuropsychological tests, including the continuous performance test, Children's Color Trails Test-1 and 2, and Stroop Color and Word Tests. The effects of mobile neurofeedback were evaluated at baseline and at 3 and 6 months after treatment initiation. Results: : Following treatment, both mobile neurofeedback-only and sham-only groups showed significant improvements in attention and response inhibition. In the visual continuous performance test, omission errors decreased to the normal range in the mobile neurofeedback-only group after training, suggesting that mobile neurofeedback effectively reduced inattention in children with ADHD. In the advanced test of attention, auditory response times decreased in the mobile neurofeedback + medication group after training, but increased in the sham+medication group. Overall, there were no significant between-group differences in other performance outcomes. Conclusion: : Mobile neurofeedback may have potential as an additional therapeutic option alongside medication for children with ADHD.
RESUMEN
This study utilized arterial spin labeling-magnetic resonance imaging (ASL-MRI) to explore the developmental trajectory of brain activity associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Pulsed arterial spin labeling (ASL) data were acquired from 157 children with ADHD and 109 children in a control group, all aged 6-12 years old. Participants were categorized into the age groups of 6-7, 8-9, and 10-12, after which comparisons were performed between each age group for ASL analysis of cerebral blood flow (CBF). In total, the ADHD group exhibited significantly lower CBF in the left superior temporal gyrus and right middle frontal gyrus regions than the control group. Further analysis revealed: (1) The comparison between the ADHD group (N = 70) aged 6-7 and the age-matched control group (N = 33) showed no statistically significant difference between. (2) However, compared with the control group aged 8-9 (N = 39), the ADHD group of the same age (N = 53) showed significantly lower CBF in the left postcentral gyrus and left middle frontal gyrus regions. (3) Further, the ADHD group aged 10-12 (N = 34) demonstrated significantly lower CBF in the left superior occipital region than the age-matched control group (N = 37). These age-specific differences suggest variations in ADHD-related domains during brain development post age 6-7.