rehabilitation
Research Papers
Showing 6 of 17Benefits of a 12-Week Non-Drug “Brain Fitness Program” for Patients with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder, Post-Concussion Syndrome, or Memory Loss
Background: Non-pharmacologic interventions can potentially improve cognitive function, sleep, and/or mood in patients with attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder (ADHD), post-concussion syndrome (PCS), or memory loss. Objective: We evaluated the benefits of a brain rehabilitation program in an outpatient neurology practice that consists of targeted cognitive training, lifestyle coaching, and electroencephalography (EEG)-based neurofeedback, twice weekly (90 minutes each), for 12 weeks. Methods: 223 child and adult patients were included: 71 patients with ADHD, 88 with PCS, and 64 with memory loss (mild cognitive impairment or subjective cognitive decline). Patients underwent a complete neurocognitive evaluation, including tests for Verbal Memory, Complex Attention, Processing Speed, Executive Functioning, and Neurocognition Index. They completed questionnaires about sleep, mood, diet, exercise, anxiety levels, and depression—as well as underwent quantitative EEG—at the beginning and the end of the program. Results: Pre-post test score comparison demonstrated that all patient subgroups experienced statistically significant improvements on most measures, especially the PCS subgroup, which experienced significant score improvement on all measures tested (p≤0.0011; dz≥0.36). After completing the program, 60% to 90% of patients scored higher on cognitive tests and reported having fewer cognitive and emotional symptoms. The largest effect size for pre-post score change was improved executive functioning in all subgroups (ADHD dz= 0.86; PCS dz= 0.83; memory dz= 1.09). Conclusion: This study demonstrates that a multimodal brain rehabilitation program can have benefits for patients with ADHD, PCS, or memory loss and supports further clinical trials in this field.
View Full Paper →The use of EEG neurofeedback in the rehabilitation of childhood epilepsy
Epilepsy is one of the most common serious neurological disorders. Epilepsy is characterized by a long-term risk of recurring seizures. The most common are seizures. These seizures can be of different types, depending on which part of the brain is involved and the age of the person affected. People suffering from epilepsy have an increased risk of death. Various treatments are used, but the results are not always effective. Neurofeedback is used in the treatment of many diseases, thanks to this therapy the patient learns to consciously control the functions of the body. The aim of this study is to determine the state of the literature on the effectiveness of EEGv (electroencephalography) biofeedback on patients with childhood epilepsy. Epilepsy is a chronic, incurable disease involving disruptions of electrical discharges in the brain. Neurofeedback therapy, based on brain wave training, is fully justified in this matter. The English-language literature from 2014-2021 was reviewed to illustrate the state of knowledge on the above-mentioned topic. 51 papers focused on various aspects of the science of the brain and its disorders, especially epilepsy, were qualified for further analysis. It was found that the state of the literature is satisfactory to conduct independent research on its basis and it was assumed that the development of this form of therapy is an expected issue.
View Full Paper →Neurofeedback Rehabilitation Reduces Anxiety in Methamphetamine Abusers
Addictive disorders are characterized by cognitive, behavioral, and neurological impairments caused by dysregulations of brain structure that can extend well beyond early withdrawal in the months and years of recovery. The present study aimed to examine the efficacy of neurofeedback rehabilitation on anxiety in methamphetamine abusers. The sample consisted of 14 male methamphetamine drug addicts who were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 7) and a control group (n = 7). Participants were assessed for Axis I disorders (SCID) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Mixed repeated ANOVA, independent t-tests, and chi-square were used for data analysis. The experimental group received 18 sessions of neurofeedback rehabilitation and standard psychological interventions treatment as usual, while the control group received only standard interventions. Results showed that neurofeedback significantly reduced anxiety in methamphetamine abusers at posttreatment and during a one-month follow-up. Along with other psychological interventions, neurofeedback rehabilitation is recommended for methamphetamine abusers
View Full Paper →Neurofeedback Training for Cognitive and Motor Function Rehabilitation in Chronic Stroke: Two Case Reports
Stroke is a debilitating neurological condition which usually results in the abnormal electrical brain activity and the impairment of sensation, motor, or cognition functions. In this context, neurofeedback training, i.e., a non-invasive and relatively low cost technique that contributes to neuroplasticity and behavioral performance, might be promising for stroke rehabilitation. We intended to explore neurofeedback training on a 63-year-old male patient and a 77-year-old female patient with chronic stroke. Both of them had suffered from an ischemic stroke for rather long period (more than 3 years) and could not gain further improvement by traditional therapy. The neurofeedback training was designed to enhance alpha activity by 15 sessions distributed over 2 months, for the purpose of overall cognitive improvement and hopefully also motor function improvement for the female patient. We found that the two patients showed alpha enhancement during NFT compared to eyes open baseline within most sessions. Furthermore, both patients reduced their anxiety and depression level. The male patient showed an evolution in speech pattern in terms of naming, sentences completion and verbal fluency, while the female patient improved functionality of the march. These results suggested that alpha neurofeedback training could provide a spectrum of improvements, providing new hope for chronic stroke patients who could not gain further improvements through traditional therapies. © 2019 Nan, Dias and Rosa. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
View Full Paper →Balance and Gait Training With Augmented Feedback Improves Balance Confidence in People With Parkinson's Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Background Fear of falling has been identified as an important and independent fall-risk predictor in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). However, there are inconsistent findings on the effects of balance and gait training on balance confidence. Objective To explore whether balance and gait training with augmented feedback can enhance balance confidence in PD patients immediately after treatment and at 3- and 12-month follow-ups. Methods A total of 51 PD patients were randomly assigned to a balance and gait training (BAL) group or to an active control (CON) group. The BAL group received balance and gait training with augmented feedback, whereas CON participants received lower-limb strength training for 12 weeks. Outcome measures included Activities-Specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale, limits-of-stability test, single-leg-stance test, and spatiotemporal gait characteristics. All tests were administered before intervention (Pre), immediately after training (Post), and at 3 months (Post3m) and 12 months (Post12m) after treatment completion. Results The ABC score improved marginally at Post and significantly at Post3m and Post12m only in the BAL group (P < .017). Both participant groups increased their end point excursion at Post, but only the BAL group maintained the improvement at Post3m. The BAL group maintained significantly longer time-to-loss-of-balance during the single-leg stance test than the CON group at Post3m and Post12m (P < .05). For gait characteristics, both participant groups increased gait velocity, but only the BAL group increased stride length at Post, Post3m, and Post12m (P < .017). Conclusions Positive findings from this study provide evidence that BAL with augmented feedback could enhance balance confidence and balance and gait performance in patients with PD.
View Full Paper →Innovative technologies applied to sensorimotor rehabilitation after stroke
Innovative technologies for sensorimotor rehabilitation after stroke have dramatically increased these past 20 years. Based on a review of the literature on "Medline" and "Web of Science" between 1990 and 2013, we offer an overview of available tools and their current level of validation. Neuromuscular electric stimulation and/or functional electric stimulation are widely used and highly suspected of being effective in upper or lower limb stroke rehabilitation. Robotic rehabilitation has yielded various results in the literature. It seems to have some effect on functional capacities when used for the upper limb. Its effectiveness in gait training is more controversial. Virtual reality is widely used in the rehabilitation of cognitive and motor impairments, as well as posture, with admitted benefits. Non-invasive brain stimulation (rTMS and TDCS) are promising in this indication but clinical evidence of their effectiveness is still lacking. In the same manner, these past five years, neurofeedback techniques based on brain signal recordings have emerged with a special focus on their therapeutic relevance in rehabilitation. Technological devices applied to rehabilitation are revolutionizing our clinical practices. Most of them are based on advances in neurosciences allowing us to better understand the phenomenon of brain plasticity, which underlies the effectiveness of rehabilitation. The acceptation and "real use" of those devices is still an issue since most of them are not easily available in current practice.
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