Outpatients
Research Papers
A new form of neurotherapy for a patient with anxiety disorder and anomic aphasia after neurosurgery for a ruptured brain aneurysm post-COVID-19
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a new, neuromarker-based form of neurotherapy for a patient with anxiety disorders and anomic aphasia after a neurosurgical operation for a ruptured brain aneurysm of the left middle cerebral artery (MCA), detected after COVID-19. CASE REPORT: A 78-year-old right-handed patient, not previously treated for any chronic diseases except stage II hypertension, contracted COVID-19, confirmed by real time RT- PCR. He was treated on an outpatient basis. Two months later, he developed an unusually severe headache and disorientation. A ruptured brain aneurysm of the left MCA was diagnosed. The patient underwent a neurosurgical operation - clipping- very well, with no neurological or neuropsychiatric disorders, except for mild aphasia and occasional anxiety attacks. Four weeks after surgery, anxiety disorder and mild aphasia worsened. High levels of anxiety on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) Scale, and mild anomic aphasia in the Boston Naming Test (BNT) was found. A functional neuromarker of anxiety in comparision to a normative database (Human Brain Index, HBI) was detected. The patient was offered a new, neuromarker-based form of neurotherapy, which proved effective in reducing the disorders. The patient improved in social communication and is gradually returning to social activities. CONCLUSION: In patients with anxiety disorders, anomic aphasia and related difficulties in social functioning after aSAH, especially after COVID-19, multidimensional diagnosis and therapy, preferably based on functional neuromarkers, is needed. HBI methodology can be successfully used in the neurodiagnosis and implementation of individualized neurotherapy for such patients.
View Full Paper →Neurotherapy of fibromyalgia?
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of a novel variant of electroencephalograph biofeedback, the Low Energy Neurofeedback System (LENS), that utilizes minute pulses of electromagnetic stimulation to change brainwave activity for the amelioration of fibromyalgia (FM) symptoms. DESIGN: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. SETTING: Tertiary referral academic medical center, outpatient. PATIENTS: Thirty-four patients diagnosed with FM according to 1990 American College of Rheumatology classification criteria. INTERVENTIONS: Active or sham LENS, depending on randomization, for 22 treatment sessions. OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcome measure was the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire total score. Secondary outcome measures included number of tender points (TPs) and pressure required to elicit TPs on physical examination, quantitative sensory testing heat pain threshold, and self-reported cognitive dysfunction, fatigue, sleep problems, global psychological distress, and depression obtained at baseline, immediate post-treatment, and 3- and 6-month follow-up. RESULTS: Participants who received the active or sham interventions improved (Ps < 0.05) on the primary and a variety of secondary outcome measures, without statistically significant between group differences in evidence at post-treatment or 3- or 6-month follow-up. Individual session self-reported ratings of specific symptoms (cognitive dysfunction, fatigue, pain, and sleep, and overall activity level) over the course of the 22 intervention sessions indicated significant linear trends for improvement for the active intervention condition only (Ps < 0.05). CONCLUSION: LENS cannot be recommended as a single modality treatment for FM. However, further study is warranted to investigate the potential of LENS to interact synergistically with other pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic therapies for improving symptoms in FM.
View Full Paper →Ready to Optimize Your Brain?
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