Increased prefrontal cortex activity on near-infrared spectroscopy after interpersonal counseling in individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

[Purpose] The number of patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has been increasing. These patients show low activity in the prefrontal cortex, which can be improved by pharmacotherapy and neurofeedback training. This exploratory study aimed to examine whether the hemodynamic response in the prefrontal cortex during an inhibition response in patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder tendencies increased after interpersonal counseling. [Participants and Methods] Participants (n=5) received three interpersonal counseling sessions. Interpersonal counseling focuses on the patient’s current problems and devises specific coping strategies, and it can be performed by healthcare personnel such as physiotherapists. Prefrontal cortex activity during a suppression reaction task was measured by using near-infrared spectroscopy at baseline and post-interpersonal counseling. The outcome was a difference in the oxyhemoglobin level from baseline to post-interpersonal counseling. [Results] The oxyhemoglobin level in the prefrontal cortex significantly increased post-interpersonal counseling. [Conclusion] These results suggested that interpersonal counseling could improve the hemodynamic response in the prefrontal cortex under inhibition in individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder tendencies, suggesting that interpersonal counseling may be effective for treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms.