Neurofeedback & ADHD: Does it work?

This video discusses the evidence concerning the effectiveness of neurofeedback (NF) for the management of ADHD symptoms. Several recent meta-analyses (reviews) of the evidence are discussed that reached a variety of conclusions. In general, it appears that NF does result in improvements in lab measures and ADHD symptoms when compared to wait-list control groups or those receiving no active therapy. However, when compared to active therapies, such as stimulant medications, or sham NF, the benefits are far less apparent, if at all. Lab measures seem to be more likely to improve from NF than ratings of ADHD symptoms in daily life, but as we know lab measures are not correlated much if at all with real world functioning. To me, the plethora of evidence suggests that NF is not an established treatment for ADHD and should only be considered when other treatments that are evidence based have been tried and found not to produce the desired effects and assuming the patient or family has the expendable income to pay for this expensive type of treatment.

Image of NF in the video is from: https://unsplash.com/photos/electrica...

You can find more information on this topic in my books, Taking Charge of ADHD: The Complete Authoritative Guide for Parents, and in Taking Charge of Adult ADHD.

References cited in the video:

Van Doren, J. et al. (2019) Sustained effects of neurofeedback in ADHD: A systemative review and meta-analysis. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. https://link.springer.com/article/10....

Chiu, H-J. et al. (2022). Surface electroencephalographic neurofeedback improves sustained attention in ADHD: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health. https://capmh.biomedcentral.com/artic...

Rahmani, E. et al.(2022). Is neurofeedback effective in children with ADHD? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurocase. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/1...

Louthrenoo. O. et al. (2021). The Effects of Neurofeedback on Executive Functioning in Children With ADHD: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Attention Disorders. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/...

Yan, L. et al. (2019). Effects of neurofeedback versus methylphenidate for the treatment of ADHD: systematic review and meta-analysis of head-to-head trials. BMJ Mental Health. https://mentalhealth.bmj.com/content/...