Compared to non-active control treatments , NF appears to have more durable treatment effects , for at least 6 months following treatment .
Neurofeedback ( NF ) has gained increasing interest in the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) .
Given learning principles underlie NF , lasting clinical treatment effects may be expected .
This systematic review and meta- analysis addresses the sustainability of neurofeedback and control treatment effects by considering r and omized controlled studies that conducted follow-up ( FU ; 2–12 months ) assessment s among children with ADHD .
Young adult outcomes in the follow‐up of the multimodal treatment study of attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder: symptom persistence, source discrepancy, and height suppression
BACKGROUND The Multimodal Treatment Study ( MTA ) began as a 14-month r and omized clinical trial of behavioral and pharmacological treatments of 579 children ( 7 - 10 years of age ) diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-combined type . It transitioned into an observational long-term follow-up of 515 cases consented for continuation and 289 classmates ( 258 without ADHD ) added as a local normative comparison group ( LNCG ) , with assessment s 2 - 16 years after baseline . METHODS Primary ( symptom severity ) and secondary ( adult height ) outcomes in adulthood were specified . Treatment was monitored to age 18 , and naturalistic subgroups were formed based on three patterns of long-term use of stimulant medication ( Consistent , Inconsistent , and Negligible ) . For the follow-up , hypothesis-generating analyses were performed on outcomes in early adulthood ( at 25 years of age ) . Planned comparisons were used to estimate ADHD-LNCG differences reflecting persistence of symptoms and naturalistic subgroup differences reflecting benefit ( symptom reduction ) and cost ( height suppression ) associated with extended use of medication . RESULTS For ratings of symptom severity , the ADHD-LNCG comparison was statistically significant for the parent/self-report average ( 0.51 ± 0.04 , p < .0001 , d = 1.11 ) , documenting symptom persistence , and for the parent/self-report difference ( 0.21 ± 0.04 , p < .0001 , d = .60 ) , documenting source discrepancy , but the comparisons of naturalistic subgroups reflecting medication effects were not significant . For adult height , the ADHD group was 1.29 ± 0.55 cm shorter than the LNCG ( p < .01 , d = .21 ) , and the comparisons of the naturalistic subgroups were significant : the treated group with the Consistent or Inconsistent pattern was 2.55 ± 0.73 cm shorter than the subgroup with the Negligible pattern ( p < .0005 , d = .42 ) , and within the treated group , the subgroup with the Consistent pattern was 2.36 ± 1.13 cm shorter than the subgroup with the Inconsistent pattern ( p < .04 , d = .38 ) . CONCLUSIONS In the MTA follow-up into adulthood , the ADHD group showed symptom persistence compared to local norms from the LNCG . Within naturalistic subgroups of ADHD cases , extended use of medication was associated with suppression of adult height but not with reduction of symptom severity
Compared to non-active control treatments , NF appears to have more durable treatment effects , for at least 6 months following treatment .
Neurofeedback ( NF ) has gained increasing interest in the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) .
Given learning principles underlie NF , lasting clinical treatment effects may be expected .
This systematic review and meta- analysis addresses the sustainability of neurofeedback and control treatment effects by considering r and omized controlled studies that conducted follow-up ( FU ; 2–12 months ) assessment s among children with ADHD .