neurofeedback treatment
Research Papers
Showing 6 of 11Neurofeedback Treatment and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Effectiveness of Neurofeedback on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and the Optimal Choice of Protocol
Neurofeedback is an alternative, noninvasive approach used in the treatment of a wide range of neuropsychiatric disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).Many different neurofeedback protocols andmethods exist. Likewise, PTSD is a heterogeneous disorder. To review the evidence on effectiveness and preferred protocolwhen using neurofeedback treatment on PTSD, a systematic search of PubMed, PsychInfo, Embase, and Cochrane databases was undertaken. Five studies were included in this review. Neurofeedback had a statistically significant effect in three studies. Neurobiological changes were reported in three studies. Interpretation of results is, however, limited by differences between the studies and several issues regarding design. The optimistic results presented here qualify neurofeedback as probably efficacious for PTSD treatment
View Full Paper →A Review of Traditional and Novel Treatments for Seizures in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Findings from a Systematic Review and Expert Panel
Despite the fact that seizures are commonly associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the effectiveness of treatments for seizures has not been well studied in individuals with ASD. This manuscript reviews both traditional and novel treatments for seizures associated with ASD. Studies were selected by systematically searching major electronic databases and by a panel of experts that treat ASD individuals. Only a few anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) have undergone carefully controlled trials in ASD, but these trials examined outcomes other than seizures. Several lines of evidence point to valproate, lamotrigine, and levetiracetam as the most effective and tolerable AEDs for individuals with ASD. Limited evidence supports the use of traditional non-AED treatments, such as the ketogenic and modified Atkins diet, multiple subpial transections, immunomodulation, and neurofeedback treatments. Although specific treatments may be more appropriate for specific genetic and metabolic syndromes associated with ASD and seizures, there are few studies which have documented the effectiveness of treatments for seizures for specific syndromes. Limited evidence supports l-carnitine, multivitamins, and N-acetyl-l-cysteine in mitochondrial disease and dysfunction, folinic acid in cerebral folate abnormalities and early treatment with vigabatrin in tuberous sclerosis complex. Finally, there is limited evidence for a number of novel treatments, particularly magnesium with pyridoxine, omega-3 fatty acids, the gluten-free casein-free diet, and low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic simulation. Zinc and l-carnosine are potential novel treatments supported by basic research but not clinical studies. This review demonstrates the wide variety of treatments used to treat seizures in individuals with ASD as well as the striking lack of clinical trials performed to support the use of these treatments. Additional studies concerning these treatments for controlling seizures in individuals with ASD are warranted.
View Full Paper →Why Do Patients with Partial Epilepsy Improve Their IQ After Training to Self-Regulate Slow Cortical Potentials?
In patients with epilepsy, not only seizures but also cognitive, emotional, and social functioning are of increasing interest in research (Kelley, Jacobs, & Lowenstein, 2009). As a decrease in cognitive functions over the course of the illness is usually reported, we wanted to explore changes in Intelligence Scores observed after a neurofeedback treatment in patients with drug-resistant epilepsies. In a controlled study that compared the outcome of three different interventions (training to regulate slow cortical potentials, N = 34; training to regulate breath rate and the amount of carbon dioxide in the end tidal volume of the exhaled air, N = 11; modification of drug regime, N = 25), pre- and postmeasurements of a short version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale were applied. The interval between the two assessments was more than 12 months, with a mean of 61 weeks. Mean age of the patients was 35, with a range from 17 to 57. The highly significant 7-point increment of IQ only after training of slow cortical potentials was not related to clinical (e.g., seizure reduction) or neuropsychological (e.g., attention and memory) variables. Instead, it was related to psychophysiological measures: IQ change was inversely related to the Latency of the P300 component of event-related brain potentials and directly related to the Latency of the P2 component and the increase of N2 Amplitude during training. We conclude that regulation training of slow cortical potentials improves IQ in patients with refractory partial epilepsy, which might be related to an improved ability for controlled allocation of cognitive resources.
View Full Paper →Neurofeedback Treatment of Chronic Inpatient Schizophrenia
This is a study on the effect of neurofeedback on chronic inpatient complex paranoid schizophrenics. The purpose of this research was twofold: first, to determine the effects of the application of neurofeedback to very chronic cases of schizophrenia that had been resistant to years of inpatient medical and psychological treatment and second, to propose a connection paradigm of schizophrenia. The author obtained progress using neurofeedback with more than 70 hospital inpatients with chronic schizophrenia. Improvements were seen in the EEG patterns and in cognitive, affective and behavioral patterns that often resulted in successful release from the hospital to live in the community. A 2-year follow up found that positive changes were sustained. It is the author's impression that reinforcement of right parietal alpha and inhibiting frontal delta and fast beta activity obtained the best results.
View Full Paper →Long-term effects of neurofeedback treatment in autism
Previously we demonstrated significant improvement of executive functions and social behavior in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) treated with 40 sessions of EEG neurofeedback in a nonrandomized waiting list control group design. In this paper we extend these findings by reporting the long-term results of neurofeedback treatment in the same group of children with ASD after 12 months. The present study indicates maintenance of improvement of executive functions and social behavior after 12 months in comparison with the immediate outcomes. Neurofeedback mediated suppression of theta power is supposed to promote more flexible functioning of the brain by enhancing activation in the medial prefrontal cortex and improving flexibility of activation in the default mode network supporting the improvement of executive functions and theory of mind in ASD.
View Full Paper →Neurofeedback Treatment for Pain Associated with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type I
Introduction. Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type I (CRPS-I) is a devastating pain condition that is refractory to standard care. Preliminary evidence suggests the possibility that neurofeedback training might benefit patients with chronic pain, including patients with CRPS-I. The current study sought to address the need for more information about the effects of neurofeedback on pain in persons with chronic pain by (1) determining the average decrease in pain in patients with CRPS-I following neurofeedback training, (2) identifying the percent of patients reporting pain decreases that are clinically meaningful, and (3) documenting other benefits of neurofeedback training. Method. Eighteen individuals with CRPS-I participating in a multidisciplinary treatment program were administered 0-10 numerical rating scale measures of pain intensity at their primary pain site, as well as pain at other sites and other symptoms, before and after a 30 minute neurofeedback training session. A series of t-tests were performed to determine the significance of any changes in symptoms observed. We also computed the effect sizes and percent change associated with the observed changes in order to help interpret the magnitude of observed improvements in symptoms. Results. There was a substantial and statistically significant pre- to post-session decrease in pain intensity at the primary pain site on average, with half of the study participants reporting changes in pain intensity that were clinically meaningful. Five of seven secondary outcome measures also showed statistically significant improvements following neurofeedback treatment. Conclusions. The findings suggest that many patients who receive neurofeedback training report significant and substantial short-term reductions in their experience of pain, as well as improvements in a number of other pain- and nonpain-specific symptoms. The findings support the need for additional research to further examine the long-term effects and mechanisms of neurofeedback training for patients with chronic pain.
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