Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) affects more than 366 million adults worldwide, according to a 2020 study, but there are few alternatives for those suffering from the disorder other than treatment with stimulant medications like Adderall or Ritalin. Therapy, education, and lifestyle changes are also typically recommended, but these methods can also be difficult.
Sydney-based company Neurode has come up with a novel way to offer some relief to ADHD sufferers: a wearable headband that can track and treat ADHD symptoms – all you have to do is wear it for 20 minutes a day.
The headband delivers mild electrical stimulation to the prefrontal cortex to balance the brain. Some people feel a tingling sensation, while others feel nothing. This type of stimulation helps treat ADHD symptoms such as lack of focus, which may worsen over time with continued use of the product. The device uses light to monitor and record changes in brain activity.
Neurode co-founder Natalie Guaillardou is a neuroscientist who was diagnosed with ADHD at age 5. She told TechCrunch that stimulant treatments never worked for her, as the medication's side effects, like insomnia and anxiety, outweighed the potential benefits.
Guaillardou came up with the idea for Neurodes while working with a noninvasive brain-imaging machine called functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) at the Institute of Bionics, a medical research facility. He said that even neuroscientists rarely have access to such equipment, and he wondered if there might be a way to take the technology out of the lab and use it to treat conditions like ADHD.
To find out if that was actually possible, she turned to her friend and co-founder, Damien Sochlevski, with whom she used to tinker with medical devices.
“I called Damien and asked, 'Why is it so big and expensive?'” Guaillardou recalls. “He looked into it for a while but couldn't find a good enough reason. That insight became the basis of our company and innovation. We took a large, expensive brain imaging machine and reduced its cost and size by a factor of 100.”
The company was founded in 2021 and filed a patent for its device that same year. Neurode subsequently raised $3.5 million in pre-seed funding led by Khosla Ventures, with participation from PsyMed Ventures, to fund clinical trials.
The device is currently available in private beta, and Guaillardou said the goal is to make the device an FDA-approved medical device, but there's no timeline yet for the application process.
Alex Morgan, a partner at Khosla Ventures, said his firm was interested in the company because of the team and its progress, but also because the ADHD treatment field is booming with innovation. He told TechCrunch that stimulants are great if they help people, but the industry needs treatments that are newer than World War II and that aren't banned in countries like Japan because of their side effects.
Morgan added that New Road's approach to medical devices also stands out. “They're taking some things that are known and miniaturizing them so they can be used at home,” he said. “A lot of products and technologies aren't great if people can't access them and use them. No matter how much scientific research you do, it doesn't help anyone if you don't make it available to people.”
There are other venture-backed startups looking to improve ADHD treatment. Some, like HelloSelf and Inflow, connect users with licensed therapists, while others, like Numo and Sidekick, aim to help users focus on completing tasks. Cerebral is another startup in this space, but it came under fire in 2022 for overprescribing ADHD medications.
Neurode's approach is a bit different, and it could expand beyond ADHD: Gouailhardou said Neurode's wearables could also be used to track other conditions, such as age-related cognitive decline and depression, and that the company may explore these areas in the future.
“I'm really grateful to be able to build in a space that not only helps me, but helps others,” Guaillardou says, “I feel lucky. Obviously there are a lot of negative aspects to having ADHD, but being able to solve my own problems and see it help other people is really rewarding.”
Editor's note: This article was amended on September 10, 2024 to clarify that 366 million adults worldwide have been diagnosed with ADHD.