Landmark Citations
Does neurofeedback work with the ADD population?
The following study, which will be published soon, addresses some of the methodological issues that have plagued previous neurofeedback research. It has a large sample size randomly assigned to control and treatment groups, and raters who are blind to the child's treatment status. This is the first randomized controlled trial on neurofeedback in children with ADHD indicating clinical efficacy with sufficient statistical power.
Gevensleben, H., Holl, B., Albrecht, B., Vogel , C., Schlamp, D., Kratz, O., Studer, P, Rothenberger, A., Moll, G.H., & Heinrich, H. (2009). Is neurofeedback an efficacious treatment for ADHD? A randomised controlled clinical trial. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, (in press).
What evidence is there that LENS works?
The ISNR website has a Comprehensive Neurofeedback Bibliography that can direct interested readers to peer reviewed journals that include LENS research. One study is particularly interesting because of its large sample size (N=100).
One hundred patients (selected randomly from over 300 cases) ranging in ages 6 to 80 had at least 10 LENS sessions each. Average symptom ratings across 15 major problem areas (e.g., anxiety, mood disturbance, attention problems, fatigue, pain, sleep problems, etc.) showed significant improvement (p<.0001) from beginning to end of treatment. Statistically significant changes in EEG amplitudes were evident as well.
Larsen, S., Harrington, K., Hicks, S. The LENS (Low Energy Neurofeedback System): A Clinical Outcomes Study on One Hundred Patients at Stone Mountain Center, New York. Journal of Neurotherapy, Vol 10, No. 2/3, 2006 pp. 69-78.
How do we know that cognitive training helps people with ADD?
This article in Scientific American discusses how training the brain for many children with ADHD may be just as effective as the traditional medication treatment approach albeit requiring more patience and effort on the part of parents, teachers, and therapists.
Sinha, G. “Training The Brain: Cognitive Therapy as an Alternative to ADHD Drugs.” Scientific American. July 11, 2005.
