Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurological disorder in which a person is unable to control behavior because of difficulty processing information in the brain, accompanied by an extremely high level of motor activity. Attention deficit disorder (ADD) is now considered an inattentive-type of ADHD where a person experiences a range of behavior problems such as difficulty following instruction, focusing on school or work, completing tasks, and interacting socially.
Despite what well-meaning grandparents and others may believe, both conditions are not caused by poor parenting, family problems, bad teachers, too much TV, food allergies, or excess sugar. Instead, they are due to biological and genetic factors that influence neurotransmitter activity in certain parts of the brain.
For example, brain images of children with ADHD show parts of their brains are smaller and less active with excess of delta and theta waves and deficit of beta waves. These changes are linked to specific brain chemicals, such as norepinephrine and dopamine, that regulate attention, mood, and behavior.¹
The prefrontal cortex area of a person’s brain controls the higher-level functions, including judgment, impulse control, time management, management of aggression, emotional regulation, self-regulation, planning, reasoning, focus, and social skills. When there is an excessive amount of slow waves present here, it can become difficult to control attention, behavior, and emotions.
Joel Nigg, Ph.D., said about the disorder:
“ADHD is not a breakdown of the brain in one spot. It’s a breakdown of the communication networks between regions of the brain that control, emotion, attention, behavior, and arousal.”
Allison Kravit, Psy.D., ADD explains it using a traffic intersection analogy:
“Imagine hundreds of cars approaching an intersection that has no traffic light or stop sign. This is what happens to the ADHD brain every day where the prefrontal cortex (the intersection) is unable to properly regulate your various thoughts and feelings (the various cars approaching the intersection).”
Both conditions are usually present in childhood but are often mistaken as personality traits and go undiagnosed until adulthood. As you may know all too well, some children with these issues can have learning disabilities, behavioral or mood disorders, depression, anxiety, and problems with planning, memory, schoolwork, motor skills, social skills, sleep, and control of emotions. ADD and ADHD are clearly caused by a brain that is not operating optimally.
Research confirms that neurofeedback training can specifically increase the brain’s production of beta waves and diminish the frequency of delta and theta waves and an observable reduction in symptoms can occur in as little as eight weeks.² The authors of other research showed found that in as few as 35 sessions neurofeedback was as effective as stimulants in reducing symptoms of ADHD. In the study, many subjects were able to discontinue medication (under the direction of a physician) after extensive neurofeedback training.³
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Sources: 1. Curatolo, P., & Moavero, R. (2009). The neurobiological basis of ADHD. Italian Journal of Pediatrics, 36, 79. https://doi.org/10.1186/1824-7288-36-79.
2. Gevensleben H, Holl B, Albrecht B, Vogel C, Schlamp D, Kratz O, Studer P, Rothenberger A, Moll GH, Heinrich H. Is neurofeedback an efficacious treatment for ADHD? A randomised controlled clinical trial. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2009 Jul;50(7):780-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2008.02033.x. Epub 2009 Jan 12. PMID: 19207632.
3. Enriquez-Geppert S, Smit D, Pimenta MG, Arns M. Neurofeedback as a Treatment Intervention in ADHD: Current Evidence and Practice. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2019 May 28;21(6):46. doi: 10.1007/s11920-019-1021-4. PMID: 31139966; PMCID: PMC6538574.