Can Digital Therapeutic Devices Treat Childhood ADHD? "Potential Effects Confirmed"

Korea University Anam Hospital Professor Cho Cheolhyun's Team
Utilizes AimMed Digital Therapeutic Device
"Significant Reduction in Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity"

Research has shown that game-based digital therapeutics (DTx) may have potential effects on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Korea University Anam Hospital announced on the 6th that Professor Chulhyun Cho's team (Professors Chulhyun Cho and Taehye Son) from the Department of Psychiatry confirmed the potential effects of DTx as an adjunctive treatment for ADHD through a feasibility study.

ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders that seriously affect children's daily life and school life in various environments. The role of DTx in effective management of ADHD is attracting clinical interest, and research on the development and efficacy of related DTx is actively being conducted both domestically and internationally.

Professor Cho's team conducted a feasibility study involving 27 Korean children with ADHD aged between 6 and 12 years. While maintaining existing medication treatment, the children used a game-based DTx prototype developed by AimMed for 15 minutes daily over four weeks. Weekly assessments were conducted using ADHD scales and web-based experimental task tools, and the study's effects were evaluated by comparing pre- and post-results of comprehensive attention tests and the Child Behavior Checklist.

The study results showed significant reductions in attention deficit, hyperactivity, and total scores among the ADHD children. Notably, these effects were maintained even one month after the conclusion of the DTx intervention. The research team explained that this confirms the potential of DTx as an adjunctive treatment for ADHD.

Professor Cho stated, "It is essential to establish evidence for the effectiveness of digital therapeutics as an adjunctive therapy in children with ADHD who are undergoing medication treatment. Through this feasibility study, the effectiveness of digital therapeutics for ADHD was confirmed, indicating the potential for its use as an auxiliary treatment."

He added, "We hope that further development and evidence accumulation will lead to practical benefits for children with ADHD."

Meanwhile, this study was conducted with support from the Information and Communication Planning and Evaluation Institute's metaverse psychological care technology development project, 'Development of a Non-Face-to-Face Mental Health High-Risk Screening System Based on Psychiatric Evidence Using the Metaverse,' and the STEAM research project, 'Development and Validation of Digital Therapeutic Content for Anxiety Symptom Control through Psychiatry-Art Convergence Research.' The study results were published in the international journal Frontiers in Psychiatry.

Professor Cho Cheol-hyun, Department of Psychiatry, Korea University Anam Hospital. [Photo provided by Korea University Anam Hospital]

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