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Training the brain

When psychology major Marissa Pighin was diagnosed with ADHD, her doctor wrote her a prescription and sent her out the door. Now, Pighin is working toward a better treatment at I-LABS, using neurofeedback to help boost reading retention.

Passion never rests

Upon receiving her ADHD diagnosis at age 17, Marissa Pighin remembers her first interaction with her doctor as, “‘I’ll write you a ‘script and send you out the door.'”

Pighin, now 22 and a UW psychology honors student, thought that there must be a better way to treat ADHD. “With medications, it’s artificial—once they’re out of your system, the symptoms come back,” she said. “I want more than a Band-Aid, I want a long-term solution.”

In a new research project at the UW’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, Pighin is developing an innovative strategy that could help train the brain to maintain attention while reading—a problem she has experienced related to her ADHD.

Read the full story and learn more about the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences


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