@phdthesis{55dbf1a9f1704a7d913cd4799ac838ac,
title = "Sensory noise as a possible non-pharmacological intervention for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder",
abstract = "BackgroundChildren diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) commonlyexhibit academic underachievement. The condition is thought to be linked to adysregulation of the dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) systems, which arenormalized with pharmacological medication. While pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions are available, more than 50% abort treatment after one year, and children with ADHD continue to struggle to achieve academic performance levels comparable to their typically developing peers.Previous research suggests that white noise stimulation may enhance cognitiveperformance in children with ADHD. While many of the existing studies have usedauditory white noise, the theoretical framework of this thesis suggests that noisestimulation in any sensory modality could yield similar benefits as from auditory noise. This thesis also investigates potential regulatory effects from white noise stimulation on DA and NE through the measurement of blink rate and pupil diameter, which serve as proxies for these neurotransmitter systems.MethodsThree distinct noise modalities – auditory, visual, and vestibular – were examinedregarding their ability to affect cognitive performance, pupil diameter and blink rate in children with ADHD and typically developing children (TDC). Each noise modalitywas compared against a no-noise condition, during tasks previously validated for their sensitivity in discerning differences between children with ADHD and TDC.Performance on the tasks was evaluated in relation to the different groups (ADHD andTDC), while blink rate and pupil diameter were assessed regarding their relationshipto ADHD symptom severity in the entire sample.ResultsNo beneficial effects on cognitive performance attributable to noise stimulation wereobserved, irrespective of noise modality. Furthermore, no relationship between blinkrate or pupil diameter and ADHD symptom severity was found. The level of symptomsexperienced did not predict pupil diameter or blink rate without noise. Neither did itinteract with the noise stimulation in any way. However, boys had significantly largerpupil diameters compared to girls during both the no-noise condition and duringauditory white noise stimulation. The boys were significantly affected by the noisestimulation.ConclusionsWhite noise stimulation seems to be ineffective in improving cognitive performance for children with ADHD in several tasks related to working memory and executivefunction. Additionally, blink rate and pupil diameter do not seem to be reliablyassociated with ADHD symptom severity, nor modulated by auditory white noisestimulation. However, the pupil diameter in boys was consistently larger throughoutthe entire task as a result of the noise stimulation. The fact that only boys, and not girls, were significantly affected by the auditory white noise stimulation suggests thatindividual differences may influence responsiveness, warranting further investigationinto potential influencing factors.",
keywords = "Sensory noise, ADHD, White noise, Eye tracking, Blink rate, Pupi diameter, Cognitive performance",
author = "Erica Jostrup",
note = "Defence details Date: 2025-02-07 Time: 09:00 Place: Konferensrum 12, Psykiatrihuset, Barav{\"a}gen 1 i Lund External reviewer(s) Name: Warkentin, Siegbert Title: Professor Affiliation: Linnaeus University",
year = "2025",
language = "English",
isbn = "978-91-8021-660-9",
series = "Lund University, Faculty of Medicine Doctoral Dissertation Series",
publisher = "Lund University, Faculty of Medicine",
number = "2025:7",
type = "Doctoral Thesis (compilation)",
school = "Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund",
}