Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation for ADHD? Hold on (Premium)
If you or your child have a diagnosis of ADHD and have not responded to conventional drug treatment, you may one day be offered trigeminal nerve stimulation (TNS). This noninvasive approach sends mild electrical signals to stimulate branches of the trigeminal nerve, with the goal of improving concentration and reducing impulsivity.
According to the researchers in a new study significant behavioral improvement and changes in brain activation were seen with this approach. Treatment required children to wear a patch on the forehead during sleep for 8 hours nightly over a 4-week period while receiving mild stimulation to the skin.
Before sharing the biggest concern with this study, let me highlight a classic excuse used by researchers for jumping to a high-tech treatment such as this before potential integrative health issues are considered.
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A link to an online report discussing this research is included at the end of this article. But first, please see the justification provided by one of the authors for the need to stimulate brains for ADHD. Quoted in ScienceDirect:
ADHD is estimated to affect 9.5 percent of school-age children and 4.4 percent of adults. . . Our current treatments mostly depend on medication with some role for behavioral therapies. Although there is great demand for non-medication ADHD treatments, the most popular options have minimal, if any, scientific evidence supporting their use.
With this above statement, researchers have dismissed out of hand hundreds of studies on ADHD and diet, nutrition, the immune system, and the impact of the environment on the disorder.
At the same time, a serious concern related to using TNS for children has been overlooked in most of the online summaries I have seen for this pilot study. Here are two conflicting comments from the study authors:
TNS therapy for youth with ADHD appears to be both feasible and without significant risk.
Additional research should examine treatment response durability and potential impact on brain development with sustained use.
First, the authors consider it “feasible and without risk.” Then they mention that it is unknown how long improvement may last once treatment is stopped (durability). And most importantly, the “effect on brain development” needs to be determined!
TNS is being touted as safe without knowing how sustained stimulation can impact brain development in kids.
At least with the use of some ADHD drugs, many people know that (unfortunately) growth can be stunted. But changes in the developing brain from TNS are unknown.
Readers are advised to become familiar with natural approaches to ADHD and consult a knowledgeable integrative practitioner if professional help is needed.
That said, there is always a need for an open mind when novel treatments are presented for intractable conditions such as severe depression or a serious seizure disorder that does not respond to treatment. For ADHD, however, treatment possibilities do not stop with ineffective drug management.
Here is the research abstract and an online review for this study.
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