Treating Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder with Neurofeedback

There are a number of difference brainwave frequencies which relate to different states of arousal. These frequencies are presented in Table 1 below. Individuals with AD/HD tend to experience mental wandering, often drifting in their thoughts, and are unable to centralise their attention or grasp information. This occurs during attentional tasks such as reading or listening to a story. During such tasks, individuals without AD/HD experience EEG shifts to the beta frequency band (which is associated with attention and memory processes), and an increase in the right frontal region. In comparison, among individuals with AD/HD there is evidence of increased theta wave rhythms, which are associated with drowsiness; decreased beta rhythm; and decreased fast sensorimotor rhythm, which is inversely associated with movement (Butnik, 2005; Fox, Tharp, & Fox, 2005; Rojas & Chan, 2005).