The Life Sciences Institute of Mind-Body Health: ADD

Attention Deficit (ADD)
and Closed Head Injury

Conventional Treatment
These are often poorly diagnosed problems. ADD is now considered to affect approximately 3% of children, especially males, and to continue into adulthood with some 60-70% of those afflicted. ADD may include hyperactive behavior or not. It is often relatively ineffectively treated with addictive medications, and often returns when the medications are stopped. Despite acknowledged problems with medication treatment of the disorder, a strong lobby exists among certain groups of professionals who support these solutions and who disparage new treatment approaches

Closed Head Injury may result from head trauma even when the skull is not fractured and the individual does not lose consciousness. It may result from birth injuries, falls, accidents, and the like. Cognitive Rehabilitation, reducing situational demands through structure, and self-medication through the use of stimulants or marijuana are common responses to such problems.

Neurofeedback Therapy
The basic problem in ADD/ADHD is that there is a relative surplus of slow-wave activity, and a relative absence of fast-wave activity. When fast rhythms are absent in the frontal (executive) areas of the brain, expression of emotions is not inhibited in the normal way, and the individual may operate in impulsive, emotional, and daydreamy ways, rather than with focused attention. Other conditions that may reduce frontal inhibition of emotions even in those without ADD problems include drugs of abuse, low blood sugar, lack of sleep, and emotional experiences.

Using a digitizing EEG, it is possible to readily determine the ratio of theta/beta brainwave amplitudes, and to obtain an index of how well the individual is likely to be able to focus attention. Scientists and engineers and other who are highly skilled at focused attention have theta/beta ratios around "1.0". Similarly, it is possible to test for delta/beta ratios and to obtain an index of central nervous system alertness. Those who alert are usually more able to attend to and to remember events occuring in their presence. When theta/beta and delta/beta ratios exceed 3.5, the individual is likely to have difficulty maintaining focus of attention and alertness. The same equipment used to make these determinations can drive a feedback tone and help individuals alter theta/beta and delta/beta ratios and associated behaviours.

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