attention enhancement
Research Papers
Mindfulness Meditation Improves Mood, Quality of Life, and Attention in Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Objective. Adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) display affective problems and impaired attention. Mood in ADHD can be improved by mindful awareness practices (MAP), but results are mixed regarding the enhancement of attentional performance. Here we evaluated MAP-induced changes in quality of life (QoL), mood, and attention in adult ADHD patients and controls using more measures of attention than prior studies. Methods. Twenty-one ADHD patients and 8 healthy controls underwent 8 weekly MAP sessions; 22 similar patients and 9 controls did not undergo the intervention. Mood and QoL were assessed using validated questionnaires, and attention was evaluated using the Attentional Network Test (ANT) and the Conners Continuous Performance Test (CPT II), before and after intervention. Results. MAP enhanced sustained attention (ANT) and detectability (CPT II) and improved mood and QoL of patients and controls. Conclusion. MAP is a complementary intervention that improves affect and attention of adults with ADHD and controls.
View Full Paper →Neocortical Dynamics: Implications for Understanding the Role of Neurofeedback and Related Techniques for the Enhancement of Attention
For nearly 25 years, EEG biofeedback (neurofeedback) has been utilized in research and clinical settings for the treatment and investigation of a number of disorders ranging from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to seizure disorders as well as many other established and investigational applications. Until recently, mechanisms underlying the generation and origins of EEG have been poorly understood but now are beginning to become much more clarified. Now it is important to combine the information gathered on the genesis of EEG and neocortical dynamics with the findings from neurofeedback investigations. This will help us to develop models of how neurofeedback might operate in producing the changes in EEG and in clinical symptomatology. We know that the cortex operates in terms of resonant loops between neocortical columns of cells known as local, regional, and global resonances. These resonances determine the specific EEG frequencies and are often activated by groups of cells in the thalamus known as pacemakers. There are complex excitatory and inhibitory interactions within the cortex and between the cortex and the thalamus that allow these loops to operate and provide the basis for learning. Neurofeedback is a technique for modifying these resonant loops, and hence, modifying the neurophysiological and neurological basis for learning and for the management of a number of neurologically based disorders. This paper provides an introduction to understanding EEG and neocortical dynamics and how these concepts can be used to explain the results of neurofeedback training and other interventions particularly in the context of understanding attentive mechanisms and for the management of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders.
View Full Paper →EEG biofeedback for the enhancement of attentional processing in normal college students
College students diagnosed as free of any neurological or attention deficit disorder received EEG biofeedback to enhance beta (16-22 hertz) activity while simultaneously inhibiting high theta and low alpha (6-10 hertz) activity in order to evaluate improvements in attentional measures. Following short-term treatment (mean number of sessions=20), subjects were evaluated as either learners or non-learners based upon standard pre- versus post-treatment neurofeedback measures. Attention quotients taken from pre and post-treatment measurements using the Intermediate Visual and Auditory (IVA) Continuous Performance Test identified significant improvements in attentional measures in learners, while non-learners showed no significant improvements. Results suggest that some "normal" young adults can learn to increase EEG activity associated with improved attention. Twenty sessions, however, even for this population may represent the lower limit for achieving significant improvement.
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