Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America.
Davis Medical School, University of California, Sacramento, California, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2020 Nov 30;15(11):e0241352. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0241352. eCollection 2020.
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most commonly diagnosed psychological disorder of childhood. Medication and cognitive behavioral therapy are effective treatments for many children; however, adherence to medication and therapy regimens is low. Thus, identifying effective adjunct treatments is imperative. Previous studies exploring computerized training programs as supplementary treatments have targeted working memory or attention. However, many lines of research suggest inhibitory control (IC) plays a central role in ADHD pathophysiology, which makes IC a potential intervention target. In this randomized control trial (NCT03363568), we target IC using a modified stop-signal task (SST) training designed by NeuroScouting, LLC in 40 children with ADHD, aged 8 to 11 years. Children were randomly assigned to adaptive treatment (n = 20) or non-adaptive control (n = 20) with identical stimuli and task goals. Children trained at home for at least 5 days a week (about 15m/day) for 4-weeks. Relative to the control group, the treatment group showed decreased relative theta power in resting EEG and trending improvements in parent ratings of attention (i.e. decreases in inattentive behaviors). Both groups showed improved SST performance. There was not evidence for treatment effects on hyperactivity or teacher ratings of symptoms. Results suggest training IC alone has potential to positively impact symptoms of ADHD and provide evidence for neural underpinnings of this impact (change in theta power; change in N200 latency). This shows promising initial results for the use of computerized training of IC in children with ADHD as a potential adjunct treatment option for children with ADHD.
注意缺陷多动障碍（ADHD）是儿童中最常见的心理障碍诊断。药物治疗和认知行为疗法对许多儿童有效；然而，对药物和治疗方案的坚持度很低。因此，确定有效的辅助治疗方法是至关重要的。以前的研究探索了计算机训练计划作为补充治疗方法，针对的是工作记忆或注意力。然而，许多研究表明，抑制控制（IC）在 ADHD 的病理生理学中起着核心作用，这使得 IC 成为一个潜在的干预目标。在这项随机对照试验（NCT03363568）中，我们使用由 NeuroScouting, LLC 设计的改良停止信号任务（SST）训练来针对 IC，该训练针对 40 名年龄在 8 至 11 岁的 ADHD 儿童。儿童被随机分配到适应性治疗（n = 20）或非适应性对照（n = 20）组，两组使用相同的刺激和任务目标。儿童在家中每周至少训练 5 天（每天约 15 分钟），为期 4 周。与对照组相比，治疗组在静息 EEG 中相对 theta 功率降低，并且在家长对注意力的评分上有改善趋势（即注意力不集中行为减少）。两组 SST 表现均有所提高。没有证据表明治疗对多动或教师对症状的评分有影响。结果表明，单独训练 IC 有可能对 ADHD 的症状产生积极影响，并为这种影响的神经基础提供证据（theta 功率变化；N200 潜伏期变化）。这表明计算机训练 IC 在 ADHD 儿童中的应用作为 ADHD 儿童的潜在辅助治疗选择具有有希望的初步结果。
