NEURONAL REGULATION AND ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER: AN APPLICATION OF PHOTIC DRIVEN EEG NEUROTHERAPY.
Contributors: University of Washington.
Published: 1994
Number of pages: 202
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Biology, Neuroscience.; Psychology, Physiological.
Description: The primary aim of this nursing clinical research dissertation was to test a photic driven electroencephalograph (EEG) neural training procedure designed to enhance the regulation of brain wave activity and thus improve cognitive functioning in ADHD children. The outcome measures used were a combination of psychometric test scores, behavior profiles, computerized performance test scores and EEG measures. A related goal was to describe the associated changes in dynamic EEG patterns in order to evolve a theoretical basis for the EEG treatment.

The study subjects were 8-14 year old children of intact families referred from a number of sources and were screened by a developmental pediatrician for other concurrent DSM-3-R diagnoses and medical conditions. Some of the subjects were medicated and some were not.

A quasi-experimental waiting control group design was used with repeated tests consisting of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Third Edition (WISC-3), Raven Progressive Matrices (RPM), Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT), Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist and Profiles (CBCL-P), and Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA). Electroencephalograph (EEG) measures were also used to identify changes due to treatment.

No significant changes were noted in any of the waiting period control group tests. Experimental results revealed significant improvement in WISC-3 processing speed (impulsivity), freedom from distractibility (attention), and improvement in the CBCL-P parent and youth self-report form attention problem profiles. Significant changes were not found in the Raven (attention) scores. The TOVA test scores showed significant post-treatment reduction in impulsivity as measured by errors of commission; however, changes in omission errors did not reach significance at the.05 level. Follow-up WIAT testing is incomplete, however the 11 evaluated so far have shown systematic improvements. Unfortunately, there were no significant descriptive changes discernible in the identified EEG measures. This was possibly due to problems with data procurement procedures.

The results of this preliminary study are encouraging. The primary goal of the study was accomplished and the study hypothesis is supported by the data. Further study is indicated to explore the effects of longer treatment courses, different training goals, and better data procurement procedures with larger and more homogenous samples.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-03, Section: B, page: 1347.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, 1994.

School code: 0250.