Objective: Anecdotal preliminary evidence suggests that chiropractic care may be of benefits for individuals suffering from ADHD. This case series presents the improvement in attention experienced by 9 adult patients undergoing Network Spinal Analysis.

Methods: Nine adult patients are presented (4 male, 5 female) with a mean age of 40.4 years (range 22 – 58 years old). All patients were evaluated with the Test of Variable of Attention (TOVA) before receiving Network Spinal Analysis (NSA) care and at 2 months into care. The nine patients received level 1 NSA care for two months, as taught by the Association for Network Care. Neurospinal integrity was evaluated with palpation, as well as surface electromyography. Cognitive process of attention was objectively evaluated using a continuous performance test, the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA).

Results: We evaluated our patient cohort before and after Network care using sEMG and variables from the continuous performance test (TOVA). Before care, all patients had an abnormal ADHD score with a mean of -3.74 (range: - 8.54 to -1.89). After 2 months of care, all patients had a significant change in ADHD score (p=0.08) and 88% completely normalized the ADHD score. 77% and 66% of patients experienced significant change in reaction time and variability score, respectively. All patients experienced a significant reduction in sEMG pattern of activation (p=0.08). We discuss possible mechanisms by which spinal care may have enhanced the function of the prefrontal cortex, thereby resulting in improved attentional capacities

Conclusion: In this case series the nine adult patients experienced significant improvement in attention, as measured by objective outcomes, after receiving two months of Network Spinal Analysis. The progress documented in this report suggests that NSA care may positively affect the brain by creating plastic changes in the prefrontal cortex and other cortical and subcortical areas serving as neural substrate for the cognitive process of attention. These findings may be of importance for individuals suffering from attention deficit. Further research into this area is greatly needed.

Pauli Y. Improvement in Attention in Patients Undergoing Network Spinal Analysis: A Case Series Using Objective Measures of Attention. Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research. 2007 Aug 23:1-9.

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