A Critical Appraisal of Neurotherapy for Attention-Deficit Disorders
Authors:
John P. Kline - Department of Psychology, Florida State University
Corinne N. Brann - Department of Psychology, Florida State
University
Bryan R. Loney - Department of Psychology, Florida State University
Author
Note:
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed
to John P. Kline, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, Florida
State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1051; E-mail: kline@darwin.psy.fsu.edu.
Abstract:
Neurotherapy is a biofeedback technique that has been promulgated
as a “promising” alternative therapy for diverse
conditions including attention-deficit disorders. The general
rationale derives from operant conditioning of electroencephalographic
activity in order to correct neural processing deficits that
are ostensibly related to impaired attentional processes.
Here we critically review the status of neurotherapy as a
treatment for attention-deficit disorders (ADD and ADHD).
Though it has been touted as a “promising” technique
for decades, it is predicated on questionable premises regarding
outcome assessment, as well as regarding the neural underpinnings
of ADD and ADHD. Furthermore, evidence for the efficacy of
this technique is lacking, and its proponents rely largely
on uncontrolled case reports to support its continued use.
The extant literature does not provide adequate support for
the growing promotion and use of such techniques.
