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This raises the question of whether the attention of ADHD patients can be increased by stabilizing the P The aim of this follow-up study was to investigate this hypothesized mechanism of action in adult ADHD patients. Undergoing a crossover design, 20 adult ADHD patients 10 female received an actual stimulation via tACS on one day and a sham stimulation on another day.
Before and after each intervention, EEG characteristics P amplitudes, low frequency power and attention performances d2 attention test, visual oddball task VOT were recorded. Electrophysiological analyses revealed no evidence for an enhanced P amplitude or low frequency power increase after actual stimulation compared to sham stimulation. Instead, a significant effect was found for a stronger N amplitude increase after actual stimulation compared to sham stimulation. Consistent with the P null results, none of the examined neuropsychological performance measures indicated a tACS-induced improvement in attentional ability.
With an estimated global lifetime prevalence of 2. Considering not only direct diagnostic and treatment costs, but also secondary follow-up costs e. Therefore, the treatment of ADHD is not only important to reduce individual suffering, but also to avert economic damage.
So far, ADHD is primarily treated by psychostimulants, cognitive behavioral therapy, or a combination of both Although stimulant medication is thereby usually considered as first-choice treatment 22 β 24 , it often leads to undesirable side effects such as sleep disturbances 25 , decreased appetite and weight decrease 26 or cardiovascular effects Moreover, in a significant subgroup of ADHD patients, psychostimulants have no, or no sufficient treatment effect 28 β Also, some patients develop tolerances to psychostimulants 31 and often interrupt or discontinue their medication 32 , particularly due to adverse events Consequently, the development of further, effective ADHD therapy approaches with fewer side effects is urgently required.
