Treat Attention Disorders In Children

Kids

oi-Devaki

By Devaki

Tuesday, May 25, 2010, 14:39

The children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) could better maintain attention and self-control by normalizing activity in the same brain systems, with medications and behavioural interventions.

Medication has the most significant effect on the brain function in such children, but this effect can be boosted by the complementary use of rewards and incentives which appear to mimic the effects of medication on brain systems. Although no cure exists for the condition, symptoms can be reduced by a combination of medication and behavioural therapy.

The experts suggest a drug called Methylphenidate, a drug commonly used to treat ADHD, which can increase the levels of dopamine in the brain. This increase amplifies certain brain signals and can be measured using an Electroencephalogram (EEG). Until now it has been unclear how rewards and incentives affect the brain, either with or without the additional use of medication.

The researchers from the University of Nottingham used EEG to measure brain activity while children played a simple game. They compared two particular markers of brain activity which is related to attention and impulsivity. They looked at how these were affected by medication and motivational incentives.

They could find that when given their usual dose of methylphenidate, children with ADHD performed significantly better at the tasks than when given no medication, with better attention and reduced impulsivity. Their brain activity appeared to normalize, becoming similar to that of the control group.

The motivational incentives effects was much smaller than that of medication. But still it helped to normalize brain activity on the two EEG markers and improved attention and reduced impulsivity, though its effect was much smaller than that of medication.

The study has been published in the journal Biological Psychiatry.