White noise as a possible therapeutic option for children with ADHD

• Published in: Complementary therapies in medicine Vol. 42; pp. 151 - 155
• Main Authors: Pickens, Thomas A., Khan, Sara P., Berlau, Daniel J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Scotland Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2019; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: ADHD; Adults; Alcohol; Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Catecholamine; Catecholamines; Children; Cognition; Dopamine; Drug therapy; Electric noise; Hyperactivity; Impulsivity; Memory; Noise; Nonpharmacotherapy; Pediatrics; Sleep; Speech recognition; Stimulants; Stochastic resonance; Stochasticity; Substance abuse treatment; Therapy; White noise; ADHD; Dopamine; Stochastic resonance; MPH; CBT; SNR; WN; White noise; DA; MBA; Nonpharmacotherapy; SR
• ISSN: 0965-2299; 1873-6963
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ctim.2018.11.012

•Current therapies for ADHD are have serious limitations, additional options would be beneficial.•White noise has been used as a therapeutic option for several disease states.•White noise has been suggested to improve ADHD symptoms of children through a phenomenon called stochastic resonance.•A variety of skills have been improved in children with ADHD when white noise has been administered therapeutically.•Not all frequencies of white noise are helpful and not all symptoms of ADHD are affected, more studies to solidify these parameters are needed. Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that affects many children and adults throughout the world. ADHD symptoms have been associated with changes in catecholamine release. Current therapies for ADHD have a variety of limitations that invite additional therapeutic options. White noise therapy has previously been utilized to improve sleep and aspects of cognition in a variety of patient populations. Through a proposed phenomenon called stochastic resonance, white noise may have the ability to improve symptoms in children with ADHD. Empirically, white noise therapy has been able to improve certain tasks affected by ADHD symptoms, including speech recognition and reading and writing speed. Not all tasks affected by ADHD are improved, however, and significant logistical challenges remain before this therapy could be realistically implemented. In this review, there appears to be evidence that white noise therapy could be beneficial for patients with ADHD, and therefore further research is encouraged to establish parameters for maximum therapeutic benefit.