Determination of the Effects of Neurofeedback Training in the Neuropsychological Rehabilitation in Inattentive and Combined Subtypes of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of the present study was to compare the effect of neurofeedback in neuropsychological rehabilitation of attention in children with combined (C) and predominantly inattentive (IA) subtypes of ADHD.  Method: This research is a quasi-experimental study by which, from among 7–12 year old children referred to the Atiyeh Psychiatric Center, 30 children diagnosed with either Combined or predominantly Inattentive subtypes of ADHD  (15 children in each subtype) underwent 30 sessions (3 sessions per week) of neurofeedback therapy. For assessing children's cognitive performance, the children in both treatment groups were administered before and after treatment with a time interval of 10 weeks, both the visual and auditory continuous performance tests (IVA).   Patient diagnosis for assignment to either of two ADHD subtypes was carried out with the Conner’s rating scale, a Clinical Interview Checklist, and Psychiatrist evaluation.  Results: Neurofeedback training significantly increased all IVA subscales scores, with the exception of the Balance scale, in all subjects, regardless of treatment group (subtype). Results of MANOVA analysis indicated that the two subtypes did not differ in terms of effectiveness of neurofeedback training with the exception of the Readiness scale.  Conclusion: The present findings supported the efficacy of Neurofeedback training in increasing children’s scores on the IVA-CPS battery of tests, regardless of subtype classification. These findings are interpreted within recent theoretical and developments regarding the validity of subtypes and the usefulness of a dimensional approach.