Neurofeedback in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

INTERVENTION: Neurofeedback using functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI‐NF) Patients will undergo Neurofeedback to learn to upregulatetheir own brain activation in 16 sessions of 5 minutes each. This will be done over 4 MRI sessions. Within each FMRI session there will be 4 sessions of 5 minutes each. This will be done over 4 visits over 2 weeks. The control group will be asked the same but on a different brain region. CONDITION: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ; Mental and Behavioural Disorders ; Disturbance of activity and attention PRIMARY OUTCOME: 1. The ADHD Rating Scale (ADHD‐RS)(Dupaul et al., 1998), measured before and after the treatment; 2. Monotonic increase in inferior frontal lobe and caudate activation across the feedback sessions in the active group SECONDARY OUTCOME: 1. Reduction in the ADHD Index of the Conners Parent Rating Scale; 2. Reduction in the Children?s Global Assessment Scale (CGAS), a clinical rating scale used to document children?s overall functional capacity at home, school, and with peers; 3. No side effects as measured on a side effects scale ; IMprovement in a cognitive task battery we have developed for ADHD that measures key functions including inhibition, attention, timing and motivation INCLUSION CRITERIA: 1. Between the age of 12? and 18 years 2. Score above clinical cut‐off on the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia, ADHD module (K‐SADS) (Kaufman, Birmaher, Brent, Rao, & Ryan, 1996) 3. Score above clinical cut‐off on the Conners Parent and Teacher Rating Scales (CPRS/CTRS) (Conners, Sitarenios, Parker, & Epstein, 1998) 4. Score above cut‐off on the ADHD Rating Scale (ADHD‐RS) (Dupaul, Power, Anastopoulos, & Reid, 1998). 5. Patients will be either medication naïve or on their usual stable medication without change in regime throughout the study. 6. Comorbidity with other disorder will be allowed except the ones outlined below under exclusion criteria 7. IQ > 80