• Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
24/7 Health News
No Result
View All Result
Home Article

Brain training probably doesn’t help ADHD – new study

April 11, 2023
in Article
Brain training probably doesn’t help ADHD – new study

r.classen/Shutterstock

Drugs to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can be very effective, but they can come with a range of undesirable side-effects, such as increased anxiety, trouble sleeping and loss of appetite. It is not surprising that people have sought other treatments.

Brain training – “exercising” your brain with attention and focus – is one such treatment. These computer- or app-based exercises are widely believed to help reduce symptoms of ADHD (such as restlessness and impulsivity) by boosting working memory – the ability to briefly hold and manipulate information in the mind. But does the evidence stand up?

To find out, my colleagues and I conducted a review of all the evidence to date – around two decades’ worth. We selected 36 trials and analysed the combined data (known as a meta-analysis) of more than 2,200 people, of all ages, with ADHD. The results were recently published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

Largest review to date

Our review is the largest on the topic to date. It contains only randomised controlled trials as these are the most reliable form of evidence – the gold standard for figuring out if a new treatment is effective or not. In a randomised controlled trial, participants are randomly allocated to a group in which they received real brain training (the treatment group) or some other intervention (the control group).

The studies we looked at were also “blinded” to further remove bias. In other words, the participants didn’t know which group they had been allocated to: the treatment group or the control group.

The brain training was mostly delivered at home, school or in a clinic, and targeted mainly working memory. ADHD is associated with poor working memory, which may play a role in the severity of symptoms.

Our analysis showed robust gains in working memory, but not in inhibitory control (the ability to stop an automatic response), processing speed (how fast you take in and make sense of information), attention, and other cognitive functions. We also did not see any changes in academic abilities such as reading or mental arithmetic, which children with ADHD find particularly difficult.

The improvement in working memory might be a reason to celebrate, but these were task-based measures, which means the results may not translate to the world outside the laboratory.

What matters more to most children and adults is whether brain training influenced ratings of symptoms. There was an improvement in attention, but this was very small – in my opinion, too small to be meaningful in the real world. And too small to justify going through a programme involving weeks of playing “therapeutic” games after school.

We also found that very few trials checked if the above benefits lasted long after training had finished. Of the evidence available, any benefit was short-lived and dwindled over time (between three and six months).

Putting this all together, despite two decades of broadly positive research and the promise of a training benefit in ADHD, we found little to no evidence that brain training is effective at reducing symptoms of ADHD.

To be clear, we do not show evidence that brain training does not work. We also do not argue that training is not useful to those with working memory deficits, or shouldn’t be part of a multi-therapy approach to treatment.

What is clear, however, is that as a standalone treatment, there is limited evidence that training can reduce symptoms of ADHD. Any claim that brain training has a reliable and significant effect on symptoms is, at best, premature.

A more pessimistic picture

As a final note, some of the trials included in our analyses were relatively small and of questionable quality, indicating there may still be an absence of good evidence. We encourage further research that is of higher quality and aimed at alternative forms of training that may be more likely to work. But although we cannot rule out a golden age of research showing reliable positive evidence of brain training from well-executed studies, I’m personally not holding my breath.

Our review confirms much of what we found in our previous review, published in 2015. If anything, our update offers a more pessimistic picture.

Since 2015, there have been a considerable number of high-quality trials published, which were included in our recent review. Despite these additions, any improvements we saw in 2015 either diminished substantially or disappeared altogether.

Put another way, as the quality of trials improves over time, the accumulated evidence shows a waxing and waning of training effects. The trend is not in favour of brain training as it is currently practised.

The Conversation

Samuel James Westwood does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

ShareTweetSharePin
Next Post
Looming behind antibiotic resistance is another bacterial threat – antibiotic tolerance

Looming behind antibiotic resistance is another bacterial threat – antibiotic tolerance

Most Read

What causes stuttering? A speech pathology researcher explains the science and the misconceptions around this speech disorder

What causes stuttering? A speech pathology researcher explains the science and the misconceptions around this speech disorder

December 15, 2022
morning back pain

Morning Again Ache Trigger Is Not the Mattress

October 11, 2021

Why Circadian Rhythms Matter for Your Health

July 30, 2024
lower back pain relief exercises

5 decrease again ache aid workouts

October 11, 2021

4 steps to building a healthier relationship with your phone

January 28, 2025
3 years after legalization, we have shockingly little information about how it changed cannabis use and health harms

3 years after legalization, we have shockingly little information about how it changed cannabis use and health harms

October 15, 2021
Nasal vaccines promise to stop the COVID-19 virus before it gets to the lungs – an immunologist explains how they work

Nasal vaccines promise to stop the COVID-19 virus before it gets to the lungs – an immunologist explains how they work

December 14, 2022
bleeding in gum

When The Bleeding in gum Is Severe ?

October 11, 2021
Good Night Sleep

6 Causes of Good Evening Sleep

October 11, 2021
Kick up your heels – ballroom dancing offers benefits to the aging brain and could help stave off dementia

Kick up your heels – ballroom dancing offers benefits to the aging brain and could help stave off dementia

January 3, 2023
Biden is getting prostate cancer treatment, but that’s not the best choice for all men − a cancer researcher describes how she helped her father decide

Biden is getting prostate cancer treatment, but that’s not the best choice for all men − a cancer researcher describes how she helped her father decide

May 20, 2025
Ten small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain

Ten small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain

October 12, 2021

COVID vaccines: how one can pace up rollout in poorer international locations

October 5, 2021

This Simple Hygiene Habit Could Cut Your Risk of Stroke, New Research Reveals

February 1, 2025

Multiple sclerosis: the link with earlier infection just got stronger – new study

October 12, 2021
Support and collaboration with health-care providers can help people make health decisions

Support and collaboration with health-care providers can help people make health decisions

December 16, 2021
Greece to make COVID vaccines mandatory for over-60s, but do vaccine mandates work?

Greece to make COVID vaccines mandatory for over-60s, but do vaccine mandates work?

December 1, 2021
Five ways to avoid pain and injury when starting a new exercise regime

Five ways to avoid pain and injury when starting a new exercise regime

December 30, 2022
woman covered with white blanket

Exploring the Impact of Sleep Patterns on Mental Health

August 4, 2024

Maximize Your Performance – Sync with Your Circadian Rhythms

August 9, 2024
Why are some people faster than others? 2 exercise scientists explain the secrets of running speed

Why are some people faster than others? 2 exercise scientists explain the secrets of running speed

April 29, 2024
Backlash to transgender health care isn’t new − but the faulty science used to justify it has changed to meet the times

Backlash to transgender health care isn’t new − but the faulty science used to justify it has changed to meet the times

January 30, 2024
News of war can impact your mental health — here’s how to cope

Binge-eating disorder is more common than many realise, yet it’s rarely discussed – here’s what you need to know

December 2, 2022
As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe

As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe

December 14, 2022
GPs don’t give useful weight-loss advice – new study

GPs don’t give useful weight-loss advice – new study

December 16, 2022
Nutrition advice is rife with misinformation − a medical education specialist explains how to tell valid health information from pseudoscience

Nutrition advice is rife with misinformation − a medical education specialist explains how to tell valid health information from pseudoscience

January 28, 2025
FDA limits access to COVID-19 vaccine to older adults and other high-risk groups – a public health expert explains the new rules

FDA limits access to COVID-19 vaccine to older adults and other high-risk groups – a public health expert explains the new rules

May 21, 2025
Four ways to avoid gaining weight over the festive period – but also why you shouldn’t fret about it too much

Four ways to avoid gaining weight over the festive period – but also why you shouldn’t fret about it too much

December 22, 2022
Nurses’ attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination for their children are highly influenced by partisanship, a new study finds

Nurses’ attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination for their children are highly influenced by partisanship, a new study finds

December 2, 2022
How hot is too hot for the human body? Our lab found heat + humidity gets dangerous faster than many people realize

How hot is too hot for the human body? Our lab found heat + humidity gets dangerous faster than many people realize

July 6, 2022
  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer

© 2020 DAILY HEALTH NEWS

  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice

© 2020 DAILY HEALTH NEWS