ADHD concentration through noise

In ADHD concentration through noise?

An international researcher has found in a study with Norwegian students that a uniformly loud environment can increase the concentration ability of inattentive children. The noise gets the brain on its toes, according to the scientists.

Children with poor concentration learn better with noise
The research team led by Göran Söderlund from Stockholm University had 51 Norwegian high school students memorize words, initially in a quiet atmosphere and then at an increased noise level. This now in the trade magazine „"Behavioral and Brain Functions" published results stunned children with poor concentration were able to memorize more words with a steady sound level of 75 decibels than before, so children who are well focused anyway are distracted from the noise as expected and therefore perform better in a quiet environment.

White noise as background noise
To achieve a uniform sound level, the scientists have used a so-called white noise, which arises when many acoustic oscillations are superimposed. White noise sounds like the radio receiver search and, at a volume of 78 decibels, corresponds to the noise of a busy street. In acoustics, the effect of white noise is already being used as a method of noise abatement because it has a subjective deafness to the hearing and noise is perceived as less noisy or annoying as soon as white noise superimposes it.

Cause of the effect: the phenomenon of stochastic resonance
Study leader Göran Söderlund explains the result of the investigation with the phenomenon of stochastic resonance, which has the effect that noises are perceived below the threshold of hearing, as soon as they are underlined with white noise. For, paradoxically, some sounds are not perceived best in absolute silence, but when accompanied by a certain background noise. In the course of the effect, however, not only the acoustic perception increases. The overall sensitivity of the senses of normally inattentive children is sharpened. In addition, it is reasonable to assume that children with poor concentration in noise generally have to raise their awareness in order to catch anything and are therefore more concentrated than in a quiet environment.

Noise therapy instead of medication
The outcome of the study is promising for all affected children and parents, as developing a practical white noise methodology could help inattentive children improve their ability to concentrate and thus their school performance without additional learning programs or the use of medication. For the growing number of ADHD and ADHD patients, this would be a blessing, because the intake of Ritalin & Co. may possibly be dispensed with in the course of such treatment. Göran Söderlund and colleagues emphasize, however, that the findings must first be reviewed on a larger sample before appropriate application methods and funding programs can be developed. (fp, 30.09.2010)

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