fMRI Neurofeedback as a novel neurotherapy for children with ADHD | C4C

Based on a successful pilot study, we will test the efficacy of a novel alternative non-pharmacological treatment based on the brain deficits in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), called fMRI neurofeedback, which allows ADHD children to learn to enhance the activity of a brain region typically impaired in ADHD in a playful way via a computer game, while they are in an MRI scanner. In this study we aim to test the effects of 15 fMRI-Neurofeedback sessions over four hourly MRI scans in 100 ADHD children, randomized into an active (real Neurofeedback) and a placebo group (sham Neurofeedback) and also measure longer-term efficacy after 6 months. We hypothesise that fMRI Neurofeedback will be associated with improvement in clinical ADHD symptoms, improvement in cognitive functions associated with ADHD and improvement in brain activation.