Their study included 23 children with ADHD, ages 8 to 13 years, who were told the purpose of the training was to "speed up their brain to maintain concentration in situations that are normally difficult," such as conversations or homework.

The training was introduced as a computer game. The subjects faced a computer that provided visual feedback in the form of movement of a ball, in which the position of the ball reflected amplitude of brain waves. Auditory feedback was also given and the children received small gifts at the end of a session based on the number of accurate responses.

While viewing a ball on the screen, they were told "to be attentive to the feedback and to find the most successful mental strategy to move the ball into the required goal."

The subjects completed 30 one-hour sessions divided into three phases. Each phase lasted for 2 weeks and the training sessions were held 5 days per week. After each phase was completed, the subjects took a 6 to 8-week break. During the last phase, the children worked on their homework while they applied the self-regulation strategy they had learned.

At the end of the training and at a 6-month follow-up, EEG tests indicated that the children had learned to regulate negative slow cortical potentials. Two of the subjects at the end of training and three at follow-up no longer fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for ADHD.

Performance IQ scores on Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, and measures of attention improved significantly from screening to follow-up.

Pediatrics November, 2006.

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To avoid fractures, elderly prefer pill to device

Last Updated: 2006-11-23 14:45:18 -0400 (Reuters Health)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In a survey of 67 adults, who were mean of 78 years old, at risk for hip fracture due to the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis, the majority stated a preference for taking a bone-building pill over wearing an external hip protector.

However, as the survey's authors point out, a limitation of the survey was that more than half of those surveyed (57 percent) were currently taking a so-called bisphosphonate (like Boniva) and none had ever heard of a hip protector.

"We could not recruit sufficient numbers of treatment-naïve, high-risk participants at a relevant point in decision-making," Dr. Liana Fraenkel and colleagues from Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, admit. Therefore, the extent to which the findings can be generalized is limited.

Preference for hip protectors was stronger among participants not currently using a bisphosphonate (36 percent vs 19 percent) and among those favoring non-drug ways to address health problems (44 percent vs 12 percent).

In general, "participants were more strongly influenced by the type of treatment than expected benefits, and when given a choice most preferred taking a pill over wearing a hip protector," the authors note.

For example, when told that both options were equally effective, 9 percent preferred hip protectors, 88 percent weekly oral bisphosphonates, and 3 percent refused all options. When told hip protectors were more effective than bisphosphonates, 26 percent still preferred hip protectors, 71 percent bisphosphonates, and 3 percent continued to refuse both.

The current survey suggests that hip protectors, as currently manufactured, are unlikely to be a widely accepted treatment option among community-dwelling older adults," Fraenkel and colleagues conclude.

Future trials and education programs, they add, should consider targeting respondents who prefer to manage health problems without drugs since, "based on the results of this study, adherence and proper use of hip protectors would be expected to be higher among these patients."

SOURCE: Journal of Rheumatology, October 2006.

Copyright © 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.