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. 2024 Feb 29;22(1):67-78.
doi: 10.9758/cpn.23.1054. Epub 2023 Jul 31.

The Effect of Mobile Neurofeedback Training in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Seo Young Kwon  1 , Gyujin Seo  2 , Mirae Jang  2 , Hanbyul Shin  2 , Wooseok Choi  1 , You Bin Lim  1 , Min-Sup Shin  1 , Bung-Nyun Kim  1
Affiliations

The Effect of Mobile Neurofeedback Training in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Seo Young Kwon et al. Clin Psychopharmacol Neurosci. .

Abstract

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.

Keywords: ADHD; Children; Executive function; Neurofeedback.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flowchart of the participant selection process in each phase of the study. MNF, mobile neurofeedback.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Changes in mean visual omission errors (advanced test of attention) in the mobile neurofeedback (MNF)-only and sham-only treatment groups at baseline and at 3 and 6 months after treatment initiation.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Changes in mean auditory response times (advanced test of attention) in the mobile neurofeedback (MNF) + medication and sham + medication treatment groups at baseline and at 3 and 6 months after treatment initiation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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Grants and funding

Funding This research was supported by a grant from the Korea Health Technology R&D Project through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHDI) funded by the Ministry of Health & Welfare, Republic of Korea (grant number: HI19C0844), by the Institute of Information & communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIT) (No. 2022- 0-00375-001, The Development of Biomarkers based on Individualized Composite Digital Therapeutics for the relief of Aberrant Behaviors in Autism Spectrum Disorder, 20%), and by a National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean government (MSIT) (No. NRF-2020M3E5D9080787).