anxiety symptoms
Research Papers
Using Neurofeedback to Lower Anxiety Symptoms Using Individualized qEEG Protocols: A Pilot Study
Introduction: Anxiety disorders affect approximately 40 million Americans ages 18 and over (NIMH, 2015). Although qualitative and small-scale quantitative neurofeedback (NF) studies show reduction in anxiety symptoms, large-scale studies and quantitative electroencephalogram (qEEG) driven protocols are non-existent. This retrospective pilot study intended to assess whether qEEG guided amplitude NF is viable in symptom reduction of anxiety. Methods: Nineteen clients were assessed for anxiety, 14 were included in the data. Demographics include age ranges from 11-61 (M = 31.71, SD = 16.33), 9 male and 5 female, six identified as Caucasian, five as Hispanic/Latino, and three Caucasian/Hispanic ethnicity. Pre- and post-assessments included the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED), and the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA). Clients received 30-min qEEG guided NF treatment sessions, twice a week. The range of attended session was 7-28 (M = 12.93, SD = 6.32). Results: Enhancement in clients' well-being was evidenced by statistically significant improvement in symptom measures scores. Although improvements for the two most anxiety-related categories on the ASEBA were not significant, other anxiety-related categories did show significant improvement. Yet, qEEG findings were not statistically significant. Directions for future research are discussed
View Full Paper →A Controlled Comparison of Audio-Visual Entrainment for Treating Seasonal Affective Disorder
Introduction. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) affects up to 6% of the population, primarily in the winter months and at higher latitudes. Methods. Light-box therapy has been the traditional intervention for SAD, where the individual is exposed to a bright light for substantial periods in an effort to replace the lack of sunshine. Audio-visual entrainment (AVE) is a technique using flashing lights through a pair of specially designed glasses and pulses of tones through headphones. The expectation of AVE is to affect brain wave activity through auditory and visual stimulation at specific frequencies. The objective of this study was to determine if AVE is a viable treatment for SAD. The study involved 74 participants in a comparison design with a control group (no flashing lights or pulsed tones) and an AVE group that received a placebo treatment (AVE at 1 Hz flashing lights and pulsed tones) for 2 weeks, followed by an active treatment phase (20 Hz flashing lights and pulsed tones) for another 2 weeks. Results. The results indicated that the placebo phase produced mild reductions in depression and no improvements in anxiety sensitivity, whereas 20 Hz AVE reduced both depression and anxiety symptoms. Conclusion. The 20 Hz AVE treatment condition also produced significant improvements in social life with the family and at work, and increased happiness and energy. The 20 Hz treatment also produced a significant decrease in eating, appetite, and carbohydrate intake.
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