2 Neurofeedback Protocols in the Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adolescents

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Attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity (ADD / H) is a public health problem since it has short and long-term consequences, affects about 5% of children of school age but remains unknown and therefore under- diagnostic. In the symptomatic triad of inattention, impulsivity and hypera...

Attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity (ADD / H) is a public health problem since it has short and long-term consequences, affects about 5% of children of school age but remains unknown and therefore under- diagnostic. In the symptomatic triad of inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity, there is often a psychopathological disorder, a learning and / or sleep disorder. Medication treatment with methylphenidate is the reference in terms of prescription to reduce the symptoms of AD / HD. However, the limitations of its long-term effectiveness, tolerance of side effects, and parental distrust of psychostimulant treatment are gradually opening the door to new therapeutic approaches. Neurofeedback is considered by the scientific world as a promising and effective neurocognitive learning technique in the treatment of Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity ADHD and several neurological and psychiatric disorders. Its principle is to increase the patient's ability to regulate his own brain activity, captured by an ElectroEncephaloGram (EEG), after visual and auditory feedback. In this controlled and randomized research, the investigator will compare the effects of two neurofeedback protocols on the repercussions of AD / HD symptoms, in particular the hyperactivity on which the improvements reported in the literature are less with usual protocols. Seventy children and adolescents aged 7 to 15 in two groups will benefit from thirty neurofeedback sessions each, either on a so-called Sensory Motor Rhythm (SMR) protocol or on a protocol called Upper Alpha. To date, no studies have identified the effects of a NF Upper Alpha protocol on improving sleep, hyperactivity and comorbidities in patients with ADHD in a controlled and randomized manner. nor on personality dimensions related to the processes of self-regulation of the patient involved in Neurofeedback (NF) treatment. The investigator expects superior clinical improvement of ADHD symptoms and sleep disorders in the NF upper alpha training group in patients not following any parallel drug or therapy regimen. The investigator expects stability of the effects of treatment after several months of stopping neurofeedback sessions, without taking or recovery of psychostimulant. This research protocol would make it possible for dozens of children and adolescents to benefit from an alternative treatment (in the absence of placebo conditions) in order to achieve a clinical improvement of at least 30% of their patients. symptoms related to AD / HD, as well as to develop a field of research still little investigated in France. On the other hand, parents would be more likely to accept effective neurofeedback treatment than psychostimulant treatment, especially since it may have side effects. In addition, the validation of clinical improvements following a neurofeedback protocol aimed at increasing the relative power of alpha waves at frontal sites would be encouraging for clinical practice and future research in this area.

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