New brain-painting method developed at USF being tested for ADHD treatment (2024)

FAQs

What is BrainPaint for ADHD? ›

What is BrainPaint? BrainPaint is a neurofeedback software program administered by professionals. It is designed to improve how the brain functions by training patients to recognize the difference between a focused state and a day-dreaming state, without requiring a brain map.

Research has shown that in children with ADHD, the prefrontal cortex matures more slowly than typically developing kids. It is also slightly smaller in size. Similarly, the cerebellum, hippocampus, and amygdala are also thought to be smaller in volume in kids with ADHD.

Research suggests that the ADHD brain differs from neurotypical brains in a number of ways, including the smaller size of certain brain structures (primarily while kids are still maturing), the level of activity in different areas, and how efficiently key neurochemicals, such as dopamine, are produced and transmitted.

The ADHD Brain: Structurally Different

Several studies have pointed to a smaller prefrontal cortex and basal ganglia, and decreased volume of the posterior inferior vermis of the cerebellum — all of which play important roles in focus and attention.

Standard neurofeedback protocols in the treatment of ADHD can be concluded to be a well-established treatment with medium to large effect sizes and 32–47% remission rates and sustained effects as assessed after 6–12 months.

While the FDA has approved 19-sensor EEG neurofeedback for anxiety, depression, ADHD, OCD, and poor sleep — all of which negatively impact our performance in schools, colleges, at work, and at home — many do not even consider EEG neurofeedback or know that it is a highly effective treatment option.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a type of neurological disorder called a neurodevelopmental disorder. ADHD affects your brain and nervous system, like all neurological disorders, but it also affects brain development. ADHD is presumed to be present from birth.

Under both the ADA and another law known as the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, ADHD is considered a disability in the United States, but with strict stipulations. For instance, ADHD is considered a protected disability if it is severe and interferes with a person's ability to work or participate in the public sector.

Is ADHD inherited from Mom or Dad? You can inherit genes that boost risk for ADHD from your mother, from your father or from both parents. In a recent Norwegian study, inherited risk was somewhat higher when a child's mother had ADHD compared to their father, but researchers weren't certain why that would be.

Similarly, people with ADHD can also experience 'meltdowns' more commonly than others, which is where emotions build up so extremely that someone acts out, often crying, angering, laughing, yelling and moving all at once, driven by many different emotions at once – this essentially resembles a child tantrum and can ...

Can ADHD be seen on a brain scan? ›

Brain MRI is a new and experimental tool in the world of ADHD research. Though brain scans cannot yet reliably diagnose ADHD, some scientists are using them to identify environmental and prenatal factors that affect symptoms, and to better understand how stimulant medications trigger symptom control vs. side effects.

Individuals with ADHD often experience difficulty regulating their attention, leading to a constant stream of thoughts that are difficult to control. Research suggests that individuals with ADHD may have an imbalance of neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and norepinephrine.

Their brain structures are different in that they struggle to organize their thoughts, a function that is aided by self-talk. For ADHD patients, they do not process thoughts in the form of an inner conversation, but they process information as they say it and thus it is difficult for them to keep focused on one point.

Summary: Researchers have made a pivotal discovery in ADHD research, finding that the disorder's symptoms are connected to unusual interactions between the brain's frontal cortex and its deeper information processing centers.

Moreover, the depth of the upper face was another measurement value that was strongly associated with the diagnosis of ADHD. The brain and face develop simultaneously in the embryonic process, and therefore, face phenotype occurs in parallel with the changes in the brain.

Typical brainwave imbalances seen with ADHD and ADD

THETA BRAINWAVES when at a high proportion are associated with incomplete work, disorganization, and being easily distracted. BETA BRAINWAVES are associated with efficient information processing and problem-solving.

Neurofeedback, formerly called electroencephalographic (EEG) biofeedback, and occasionally referred to as neurotherapy, is an intervention for ADHD based on findings that many individuals with ADHD show low levels of arousal in frontal brain areas, with excess of theta waves and deficit of beta waves.

In another study of 38 children with ADHD, 30 sessions of neurofeedback training (SCP) was reported to improve cognitive function and attention. Additionally, these effects were still seen up to 6 months after the initial treatment. This finding was confirmed by another follow-up study in 23 children with ADHD.

Summary. Studies suggest psychotherapy can reduce symptoms of ADHD, especially when people combine it with medication. There are different types of psychotherapy, and research suggests CBT is the most effective option for people with ADHD. Other options include family therapy.