Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Oct 20:14:1280440.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1280440. eCollection 2023.

A novel intervention for treating adults with ADHD using peripheral visual stimulation

Yael Richter  1 , Carlos Gordon  1 , Gabriel Vainstein  2 , Carmel Bublil-Mor  1 , Dario Geisinger  1 , Noya Meital-Kfir  1 , Zohar Elyoseph  3
Affiliations

A novel intervention for treating adults with ADHD using peripheral visual stimulation

Yael Richter et al. Front Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Objective: Stimulation of the peripheral visual field has been previously reported as beneficial for cognitive performance in ADHD. This study assesses the safety and efficacy of a novel intervention involving peripheral visual stimuli in managing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Methods: One hundred and eight adults, 18-40 years old, with ADHD, were enrolled in a two-month open-label study. The intervention (i.e., Neuro-glasses) consisted of standard eyeglasses with personalized peripheral visual stimuli embedded on the lenses. Participants were assessed at baseline and at the end of the study with self-report measures of ADHD symptoms (the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale; ASRS), and executive functions (The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function Adult Version; BRIEF-A). A computerized test of continuous performance (The Conners' Continuous Performance Test-3; CPT-3) was tested at baseline with standard eyeglasses and at the end of study using Neuro-glasses. The Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scale (CGI-I) was assessed at the intervention endpoint. Safety was monitored by documentation of adverse events.

Results: The efficacy analysis included 97 participants. Significant improvements were demonstrated in self-reported measures of inattentive symptoms (ASRS inattentive index; p = 0.037) and metacognitive functions concerning self-management and performance monitoring (BRIEF-A; p = 0.029). A continuous-performance test (CPT-3) indicated significant improvement in detectability (d'; p = 0.027) and reduced commission errors (p = 0.004), suggesting that the Neuro-glasses have positive effects on response inhibition. Sixty-two percent of the participants met the response criteria assessed by a clinician (CGI-I). No major adverse events were reported.

Conclusion: Neuro-glasses may offer a safe and effective approach to managing adult ADHD. Results encourage future controlled efficacy studies to confirm current findings in adults and possibly children with ADHD.Clinical trial registration: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/, Identifier NCT05777785.

Keywords: ADHD; ADHD intervention; Adult ADHD; peripheral vision; peripheral visual stimulation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

YR, CG, DG, NM-K, and CB-M are employees of VIZO-Specs Ltd. ZE and GV are consultants for VIZO-Specs Ltd. The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This study received funding from VIZO-Specs Ltd. The funder had the following involvement with the study: study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation of data, the writing of this article, and the decision to submit it for publication.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic illustration of the study design.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Illustration of a sample Neuro-glasses consisting of a standard eyeglasses frame and standard optic lenses with semi-transparent marking stimuli embedded on the lenses.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Flowchart of the participants in the study. A total of 108 participants were enrolled in the study, of whom 100 completed the intervention and 97 were analyzed.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Visser SN, Danielson ML, Bitsko RH, Holbrook JR, Kogan MD, Ghandour RM, et al. Trends in the parent-report of health care provider-diagnosed and medicated attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: United States, 2003–2011. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. (2014) 53:34–46.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2013.09.001, PMID: - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Song P, Zha M, Yang Q, Zhang Y, Li X, Rudan I. The prevalence of adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: a global systematic review and meta-analysis. J Glob Health. (2021) 11:04009. doi: 10.7189/jogh.11.04009, PMID: - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Biederman J, Faraone SV. Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Lancet. (2005) 366:237–48. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(05)66915-2 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bush G. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and attention networks. Neuropsychopharmacology. (2010) 35:278–300. doi: 10.1038/npp.2009.120, PMID: - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Arnsten AFT. Stimulants: therapeutic actions in ADHD. Neuropsychopharmacology. (2006) 31:2376–83. doi: 10.1038/sj.npp.1301164 - DOI - PubMed

Associated data