Shultz, Jennifer C. The effects of Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation on attention: A double-blinded, placebo-controlled investigation. Doctoral dissertation. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, 106 pages; 2010.
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, 106 pages; 2010.
This is a double-blind, placebo-controlled, matched samples, pretest-posttest control group design study that examined the effects of Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation (CES) on attention. The population sample was non-clinical, drawn from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. All volunteers completed the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) to exclude participants with mild and severe symptoms of anxiety and depression. A baseline IVA+Plus and POMS assessed for attention and mood prior to any CES treatment. Participants were control-matched to a sham-CES (placebo) condition or a treatment-CES condition, while controlling for female participants’ phase in menstrual cycle. After a one-hour application of CES at 100 uA, 0.5 Hz, participants were administered a second IVA+plus and second POMS. Results show a statistically significant increase in auditory attention for the treatment group as compared to the placebo group. This research may have significant implications for the use of CES to enhance attention.