User-friendly ADHD headset and game IDs up to 95% of cases
A wearable, non-invasive brain-computer interface (BCI) that quickly measures neural activity while the user plays through a video-game 'test' is helping clinicians more accurately diagnose attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). While still in the research stage, this novel invention is showing a lot of promise in removing the gray area of ADHD diagnosis.
Right now, until we know more about ADHD genetic biomarkers, diagnostic measures are largely down to psychiatric and behavioral evaluation. As the Mayo Clinic outlines, there are three recognized types of ADHD assessed by symptoms: Predominantly hyperactive/impulsive, predominantly inattentive, and combined or mixed – where someone lands on the broad and varied spectrum between these two.
The traditional system of diagnosis has particularly failed those with combined type ADHD, where symptoms are less overt than the disruptive, hyperactive and easily distracted behaviors most often associated with the condition in children. People with more 'internal hyperactivity' and internalized symptoms have learnt to mask to fit into a society that is challenging for neurodivergent brains, and because they're also often academically gifted or high-achieving, they have essentially been hidden in plain sight. We're only starting to understand the complex relationship between inattentive and combined type ADHD and anxiety; girls, in particular, have often been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), when ADHD has been the underlying issue.
