Non-Invasive Brain-Computer Interface Paves a New Path for ADHD Intervention and Pediatric Neurodevelopmental Disorder Management

On January 31, the "Brain-Computer Interface Medical Innovation Academic Symposium and Technology Release Conference," hosted by the People's Daily Health Client and supported by BrainCo, was held in Beijing. Experts from government, industry, academia, research, and medicine gathered to engage in in-depth discussions on the application of brain-computer interfaces in the field of neurodevelopmental disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), exploring standardized diagnosis and treatment methods and innovative intervention approaches for these conditions.

ADHD, as one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood, affects approximately 6.4% of school-age children in China, with over 20 million children troubled by it. Lu Lin, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and an expert in psychiatry and sleep medicine, stated at the conference that traditional drug treatments are either ineffective or cause adverse reactions in nearly half of the patients. The development of brain-computer interface technology, especially non-invasive techniques, offers new approaches for the objective assessment and targeted intervention of various neurological and psychiatric disorders.

At the conference, BrainCo released the non-invasive brain-computer interface ADHD intervention product "Focusen" medical version. Both the software and hardware of this product have been approved for medical device registration certificates, taking the lead in realizing the combined use of children's attention training software and hardware medical devices, providing a practical sample for the clinical transformation of brain-computer interface technology.

Academic Exchange Conference on Brain-Computer Interface Diagnosis and Treatment Innovation and Technology Release Event

ADHD Diagnosis and Treatment Encounter Multiple Bottlenecks: Clinicians Call for Innovative Intervention Solutions

ADHD, also known as hyperactivity disorder, has the core issue not in "attention deficit," but in "dysfunctional attention regulation." Patients are unable to control the switching of their attention autonomously, often displaying symptoms such as being easily distracted, procrastination, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. If not properly intervened over a long period, it can impact various social functions like learning and social interaction.

Despite the comprehensive intervention system of "medication + non-medication treatment" for ADHD, many bottlenecks remain in clinical application. Experts at the conference noted that ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder with high prevalence but low severity. Sole reliance on medication has long hit a bottleneck, and concerns about drug side effects have significantly reduced treatment compliance among many families. Meanwhile, traditional non-drug approaches such as behavioral training and executive function training are plagued by issues like long cycles, high demands for family involvement, and insufficient support from primary healthcare resources, making it difficult to achieve large-scale promotion.

At the same time, the diagnosis of ADHD lacks clear biological indicators and mainly relies on clinical scale assessments and judgments of functional impairment. Differences between family complaints and school performance, as well as inconsistent diagnostic standards across different departments, also increase the difficulty of precise diagnosis. Professor Wang Yufeng from the Sixth Hospital of Peking University/Institute of Mental Health stated that ADHD is a public health issue with lifelong characteristics, affecting not only childhood development but also potentially leading to various comorbidities in adulthood.

In addition, the ADHD diagnosis and treatment capabilities of grassroots medical institutions are weak, and the gap in medical resources between urban and rural areas is significant. Many children in remote areas struggle to access professional diagnosis and intervention services, which has become an important factor restricting the standardized diagnosis and treatment of ADHD. Gai Haishan, Party Committee Deputy Secretary and President of Beijing Rehabilitation Hospital, believes that the diagnosis and treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders require the construction of a full-chain service system. However, the information silo problem in the existing system makes it difficult to implement collaboration among hospitals, families, schools, and communities, and there is an urgent need to use new technologies to打通 (clear) collaborative channels.

Non-invasive brain-computer interface becomes mainstream, with deep integration of technology and clinical applications

In the technical pathways of brain-computer interfaces, they are divided into three categories: invasive, semi-invasive, and non-invasive. For interventions targeting neurodevelopmental disorders in children such as ADHD, non-invasive technology has become the mainstream direction for clinical translation due to its advantages of safety, being non-invasive, and high accessibility.

The Core Principle of Non-Invasive Brain-Computer Interfaces in ADHD Intervention: Based on Neuroplasticity, Regulating EEG Rhythms through Neurofeedback Training—Children with ADHD Often Exhibit Increased Theta Waves and Decreased Beta Waves Related to Attention. The Technology Collects Prefrontal EEG Signals, Transforms Attention Levels into Real-Time Feedback Such as Visual or Auditory Cues, Allowing Patients to Learn to Self-Regulate Brain Activity During Training, Thereby Improving Attention Control and Self-Regulation.

Academician Tan Weihong of the Chinese Academy of Sciences emphasized that for brain-computer interfaces to achieve clinical translation, it is essential to construct a closed-loop system that is "clinically applicable, interpretable, intervenable, and beneficial." The core task involves completing three validations: First, verifying the causal relationship between biosignals and clinical manifestations by isolating disease-related characteristic signals from complex brainwave data. Second, validating the precision and safety of interventions, achieving personalized targeted interventions based on the physiological characteristics of children. Third, confirming clinical value and accessibility by demonstrating that the technology outperforms existing methods in real-world medical scenarios while offering cost-effectiveness and scalability.

To meet the medical needs of children, non-invasive brain-computer interface (BCI) devices have undergone targeted optimization in product design. Compared with traditional EEG equipment, which features complex wiring, a large number of electrodes, and high operational thresholds, the portable BCI device developed by BrainCo requires only a single-channel electrode to achieve medical-grade precision data collection. It does not require operation by professionals, allowing children to wear it independently, reducing the difficulty of use, and enabling them to complete training autonomously in various settings such as hospitals, rehabilitation centers, or even at home. The software integrates neurofeedback training into gamified scenarios, enhancing children's engagement and compliance through instant rewards and dynamic difficulty adjustments. The backend signal analysis can intelligently filter out signal interference caused by children's movements, ensuring stable EEG data collection.

Clinical research data shows that the combined intervention of non-invasive brain-computer interface and medication is more effective than medication alone, with significantly better improvement observed in younger ADHD children aged 6-7. Eighty-two percent of the participating children were able to complete the training independently, and 92% actively engaged in the training, demonstrating good clinical adaptability.

Multi-party Collaboration to Build an Industrial Ecosystem, Promoting the Large-scale Implementation and Upgrade of Technology

The scaled application of brain-computer interface technology in the field of neurological disorders such as ADHD is not a breakthrough of a single technology but requires the collaborative construction of an industrial ecosystem involving policies, scientific research, clinical practices, enterprises, and society. At the policy level, in 2025, seven departments including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology jointly issued the "Implementation Opinions on Promoting the Innovative Development of the Brain-Computer Interface Industry," which mapped out a roadmap for industrial development; the National Healthcare Security Administration also established for the first time a charge item called the "Non-Invasive Brain-Computer Interface Fitting Fee," and some regions have already introduced specific medical service pricing standards.

The deep integration of industry, academia, research, and medicine is the core driving force for continuous technological iteration and clinical transformation. Zhang Guojun, former Party Secretary of Beijing Children's Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University, stated that the development of brain-computer interface products must closely align with genuine clinical needs. Enterprises should collaborate with medical institutions to incorporate clinical scenario validation during the product design phase, involving doctors, patients, and parents to provide timely feedback on usage experience, thereby avoiding a disconnect between the product and clinical requirements.

Building a "Family, School, Community, Medical, Enterprise" Five-in-One Collaborative Diagnosis and Treatment System is Key to the Implementation of ADHD Interventions. Cui Yonghua, Director of the Psychiatry Department at Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, summarized this system as follows: Hospitals determine diagnosis and treatment direction, families are responsible for daily implementation of plans and emotional support, schools create a learning environment suitable for patients and provide performance feedback, enterprises offer innovative technologies and tools, and communities ensure science popularization and provide bottom-line guarantees.

At the same time, the development of technology cannot be separated from the guarantee of ethics and data security. Academician Lu Lin believes that the clinical application of brain-computer interfaces must adhere to three major principles: being guided by clinical value, using evidence-based medical evidence to verify effectiveness and safety; adhering to ethical red lines and paying high attention to the privacy protection of data; promoting true integration of medicine and engineering, and building a cross-disciplinary collaborative innovation ecosystem.

From the perspective of industry development, the application of brain-computer interface (BCI) in the ADHD field is merely the beginning of its implementation in the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders. As the technology continues to advance, its applications will expand to areas such as autism, Alzheimer's disease, stroke rehabilitation, and more, establishing a comprehensive brain health management system covering the entire life cycle. Han Bicheng, founder and CEO of BrainCo, stated that the development goal of BCI is to assist more individuals suffering from brain-related diseases. Achieving this goal requires all parties in the industry to adopt a long-term mindset, diligently refining the technology so that cutting-edge innovations can truly move out of the lab and benefit countless households.