Neurological Dysregulation is a term used to describe the improper or random and unorganized firing of neurons in the brain. When this occurs in people, the tense unbalanced nervous system tends to cause irregular activation patterns in the brain. This then results in atypical brain wave patterns. One of the most common and studied examples of this altered brain wave pattern would be in children with ADHD.
Recently, the use of ADHD as a diagnosis has skyrocketed. This can be partially due to better ways of diagnosing this issue, the increase in children with neurobehavioral problems, environmental factors and so on. Here are the facts on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder:
· Behavior disorder emerges before the age of seven.
· Symptoms include inattentive, impulsive and hyperactive behaviors.
· ADHD is not a reflection of a child’s intelligence nor caused by bad parenting.
· ADHD is more common in people who have a close relative with the condition.
· Twice as many boys are diagnosed with ADHD as girls.
There are three categories that ADHD can present itself as.
1. Combined Type (Inattentive/Hyperactive/Impulsive). Children with this type of ADHD show all three symptoms. This is the most common form of ADHD.
2. Hyperactive/Impulsive Type. Children show both hyperactive and impulsive behavior, but are able to pay attention.
3. Inattentive Type. Formerly known as attention deficit disorder (ADD), these children are not overly active. They do not disrupt the classroom or other activities, so their symptoms might not be noticed.
Theta Beta Ratio Study for ADHD/ADD
Study consisted of 482 test subjects having EEG studies done to measure brain wave activity. This was later replicated with 440 subjects. Control subjects in this study had a normal theta to beta brain wave ratio of 3:1. Children who were properly diagnosed with ADHD and ADD using traditional criteria had a T/B ratio of 9:1. This means that during the study when the child was given a book to read within 10 seconds their EEG drops into theta waves, showing lack of focus. Typically, when focusing a person may have more elevated beta waves as those tend to be produced when you are awake, alert, externally focused, problem solving, and attentive. In conclusion, in more than 25 recent studies 86% of children with ADD/ADHD produce higher than normal levels of theta waves.
What does this mean for chiropractic care?
Studies show the effectiveness of chiropractic on the normalization of brain wave activity using an EEG. We now know that proper function of the central nervous system is dependent upon mechanoreceptive input from the joints and muscles. Mechanoreception is what feeds information to the brain of all the sensory coming into the body from various stimuli. In short, without proper mechanoreception neurological stress and possible unorganized brain waves then occur. Chiropractic care promotes mechanoreception and therefore is a possible therapy to help your child with ADD/ADHD!
