Chiropractic Care on Behavior, Neurological Function and Quality of Life in ADHD Children - A Pilot Study

Overview

To date the effects of chiropractic care on behavior and neurological function in children diagnosed with ADHD has not been investigated thoroughly and is limited mostly to case studies and retrospective case reviews. Our research group recently completed a pilot study that investigated the effects of a single session of chiropractic care on oculomotor function and reading ability in children with ADHD. The findings of this study suggested that chiropractic care may have a role in improving oculomotor control and reading ability in this population group. This proposed study is the next step in this program of research and is a pilot clinical trial that will investigate whether 4 weeks of chiropractic care influences behavior, neurological function, or quality of life in children with ADHD.

ADHD is a disorder that may affect an individual's academic performance, social interactions, and interpersonal relationships amongst others. It is characterized by impulsiveness, hyperactivity, and inattention. It was previously thought that children overcome ADHD as they grow up, however, recent studies suggest that 30-60% of affected individuals continue to show significant symptoms of the disorder as adults and have associated difficulties such as lower educational and employment achievement. Conventional therapeutic approaches that are used with individuals with ADHD generally involve pharmaceutical interventions and behavioral therapies such as counseling and behavioral modification. However, little is known about the long term effectiveness of these treatment approaches which are also known to involve significant risks and complications. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is associated with significant alterations in brain development and function. These include changes in fronto-striatal pathways that can lead to difficulties with "top-down" control. It is also likely that connections in the parietal lobe and cerebellum are involved. These neurological changes are associated with a number of alterations to sensory filtering, sensorimotor gating, and sensorimotor control. This lends itself to a potential role for chiropractors in caring for children with ADHD because chiropractic care has been shown to alter a number of aspects of sensorimotor function. Chiropractic is based on the theory that spinal adjustments applied to areas of spinal dysfunction, known as vertebral subluxations, can improve the function of the nervous system. Our research group has been testing this theory for the last 15 years. We have hypothesized that the articular dysfunction component of the vertebral subluxation results in altered afferent input to the central nervous system (CNS) that modifies the way in which the CNS processes and integrates all subsequent sensory input. This processing (i.e. sensorimotor integration), is a CNS function that appears most vulnerable to altered inputs. Recent studies have shown that chiropractic care alters sensorimotor filtering, cortical and cerebellar motor processing, and multisensory processing, all of which may be important in the neurodevelopment of ADHD. Given the nature of the neurological changes associated with ADHD and the growing body of evidence that suggests that chiropractic care may influence neurological function, it is possible that chiropractors may play a role in enhancing the neurological function of individuals with ADHD.