Neurofeedback trains a superordinate system relevant for seemingly opposing behavioral control deficits depending on ADHD subtype

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Abstract

ADHD is one of the most prevalent neuropsychiatric disorders of childhood, but symptoms vary considerably between individuals. Therefore, different ADHD subtypes can be distinguished. Yet, it is widely elusive whether the specific subtype is critical to consider when examining treatment effects. Based on theoretical considerations, this could be the case for EEG theta/beta neurofeedback. We examine the effects of such an intervention on rapid response execution and inhibition processes using a Go/Nogo task in the inattentive (ADD) and the combined (ADHD-C) subtype. We show that a single neurofeedback protocol affects opposing deficits depending on the ADHD subtype – namely the execution (in ADD) and inhibition of action (in ADHD-C). No changes occurred in the healthy controls. These findings are discussed in relation to overarching principles of neural oscillations, particularly in the beta frequency band. The data suggest that theta/beta neurofeedback trains a superordinate system strongly related to the function of neural beta frequency oscillations to tune neural networks important for the sampling of sensory information used for behavioral control.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere12956
JournalDevelopmental science
Volume23
Issue number6
Publication statusPublished - 1 Nov 2020
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 32107844
ORCID /0000-0002-2989-9561/work/160952371

Keywords

Keywords

  • ADHD, executive function, neurofeedback, response inhibition, subtypes