Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment (May 2024)
Impact of Mobile Neurofeedback on Internet Addiction and Neurocognitive Function in Neurotypical Children: Double-Blind, Sham-Controlled Randomized Clinical Trial
Abstract
Jae-Won Choi,1,* Seungheon Yang,2,* Jun Won Kim2 1Department of Psychiatry, Gyeongsang National University Hospital, Jinju, Republic of Korea; 2Department of Psychiatry, Daegu Catholic University School of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Jun Won Kim, Department of Psychiatry, Daegu Catholic University School of Medicine, 3056-6 Daemyeong-4 dong, Nam-gu, Daegu, 705-718, Republic of Korea, Tel +82-53-650-4786, Fax +82-53-623-1694, Email [email protected]: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the positive impact of mobile neurofeedback (MNF) in neurotypical children compared to sham mobile neurofeedback.Methods: Neurotypical children aged 10– 15 participated in the study. All subjects were assessed using the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia Present and Lifetime Version Korean Version (K-SADS-PL-K) and confirmed to have no psychiatric symptoms. The participants were randomly assigned to the MNF active (N=31) or sham control (N=30) groups. The MNF program was administered using a mobile app for 30 min/day, 3 days/week, for 3 months. All participants and their parents completed self-report scales and participants complete neurocognitive function assessments including the continuous performance test, Stroop, children’s color trails test-1 and 2, and intelligence test at baseline and after the 3-month MNF program.Results: This study involved 61 participants (mean [SD] age, 11.24 [1.84] years; 30 male participants [49.2%]). To verify the difference between the MNF group and the sham group, 2(MNF-Sham) X 2(Pre-Post) repeated measures ANOVA was performed. The main effect of the K-scale (Korea Internet addiction scale) between-group factor (MNF vs Sham) was not significant, but the main effect of the within-group factor (Pre vs Post) was significant (F=7.595, p=0.008). The interaction effect of between-group factors and within-group factors was also significant (F=5.979, p=0.017). In other self-reported scales of children and parents and neurocognitive function assessments, there was no significant difference between the two groups.Conclusion: Active mobile neurofeedback significantly improved children’s K-scale score compared to the sham group. Therefore, mobile neurofeedback could be an easy-to-access therapeutic option for children at risk of Internet addiction. On the other hand, there was no significant difference in other scales and neurocognitive function. A 3-month intervention may not have been long enough to cause change, so longer interventions are needed for confirmation.Keywords: mobile neurofeedback, double-blind randomized clinical trial, neurotypical children, internet addiction
