Trial of electroshock for kids with ADHD reveals mixed results

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-02-22 03:00

International

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International scientists say using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) therapy on kids with ADHD has mixed results. They found shocking an area of the brain called the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (lDLPFC) lowered the accuracy of children's working memory, the part of short-term memory that processes our perceptions and language in the moment. However, shocking another brain area, the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG), improved kids' 'interference control', which is the ability to resist distractions and ignore irrelevant information. The findings are based on tests on 69 Portuguese and German children with ADHD, some of whom were shocked while others were given 'sham' shocks. The researchers say the results suggest targeted tDCS can affect brain regions relevant to ADHD in children and future works should explore it as a treatment option while carefully controlling for any adverse effects.

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Journal/
conference: JAMA Network Open

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Germany

Funder: This work was part of the EU-funded consortium Stimulation in Pediatrics (STIPED), Horizon 2020 grant agreement 731827.

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