Research Articles for Neurofeedback
Research Articles for Neurofeedback
If you’ve been wondering what research has been done on neurofeedback, the following citations should help. We’ve organized a few studies by diagnosis and provided more resources from trusted industry associations.
ADHD
Efficacy of Neurofeedback Treatment in ADHD
Arns, M, de Ridder S., Strehl, U., Breteler, M. & Coenen, A. Efficacy of neurofeedback treatment in ADHD: the effects on inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity: a meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical EEG & Neuroscience, 2009 July; 40(3): 180-9.
ABSTRACT
Since the first reports of neurofeedback treatment in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in 1976, many studies have investigated the effects of neurofeedback on different symptoms of ADHD, such as inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. Many practitioners also use this technique, but the question as to the evidence-based level of this treatment is still unclear. In this study, selected research on neurofeedback treatment for ADHD was collected, and a meta-analysis was performed. Both prospective controlled studies and studies employing a pre- and post-design found large effect sizes (ES) for neurofeedback on impulsivity and inattention and a medium ES for hyperactivity. Randomized studies demonstrated a lower ES for hyperactivity, suggesting that hyperactivity is probably most sensitive to nonspecific treatment factors. Due to the inclusion of some very recent and sound methodological studies in this meta-analysis, potential confounding factors such as small studies, lack of randomization in previous studies, and a lack of adequate control groups have been addressed, and the clinical effects of neurofeedback in the treatment of ADHD can be regarded as clinically meaningful. Three randomized studies have employed a semi-active control group, which can be regarded as a credible sham control group that provides an equal level of cognitive training and client-therapist interaction. Therefore, in line with the AAPB and ISNR guidelines for rating clinical efficacy, we conclude that neurofeedback treatment for ADHD can be considered “Efficacious and Specific” (Level 5) with a large ES for inattention and impulsivity and a medium ES for hyperactivity.
Anxiety
Scheinost, D., Stoica, T., Saksa, J., Papademetris X, et al. Orbitofrontal cortex neurofeedback produces lasting changes in contamination anxiety and resting-state connectivity. Translational Psychiatry 3(4):e250 (April 2013)
ABSTRACT
Anxiety is a core human emotion but can become pathologically dysregulated. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) neurofeedback (NF) to noninvasively alter patterns of brain connectivity, as measured by resting-state fMRI, and to reduce contamination anxiety. The activity of a region of the orbitofrontal cortex associated with contamination anxiety was measured in real-time and provided to subjects with significant. Still, subclinical anxiety as an NF signal, permitting them to learn to modulate the target brain region. NF altered network connectivity of brain regions involved in anxiety regulation: subjects exhibited reduced resting-state connectivity in limbic circuitry and increased connectivity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. NF has been shown to alter brain connectivity in other contexts, but it has been unclear whether these changes persist; critically, we observed connectivity changes several days after NF training, demonstrating that such training can lead to lasting modifications of brain functional architecture. Training also increased subjects’ control over contamination anxiety several days after the completion of NF training. Changes in resting-state connectivity in the target orbitofrontal region correlated with these improvements in anxiety. Matched subjects undergoing a sham feedback control task showed neither a reorganization of resting-state functional connectivity nor an improvement in anxiety. These data suggest that NF can enable enhanced control over anxiety by persistently reorganizing relevant brain networks and thus support the potential of NF as a clinically useful therapy.
Autism
Nada Pop-Jordanova, Tatjana Zorcec, Aneta Demerdzieva,& Zoran Gucev. “QEEG characteristics and spectrum weighted frequency for children diagnosed as autistic spectrum disorder. Nonlinear Biomedical Physics 4, 4 (2010).
ABSTRACT
Autistic spectrum disorders are a group of neurological and developmental disorders associated with social, communication, sensory, behavioral, and cognitive impairments, as well as restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, activities, or interests. The aim of this study was a) to analyze QEEG findings of autistic patients and to compare the results with the database and b) to introduce the calculation of spectrum-weighted frequency (brain rate) as an indicator of general mental arousal in these patients.
Results: Results for qEEG show generally increased delta-theta activity in the brain’s frontal region. Changes in the qEEG pattern appeared to be in a non-linear correlation with maturational processes. The brain rate measured in CZ shows slow brain activity (5. 86), which is significantly lower than average and corresponds to low general mental arousal. Recent research has shown that autistic disorders have as their basis disturbances of neural connectivity. Neurofeedback seems capable of remediating such disturbances when these data are considered part of treatment planning.
Conclusions: The prognosis of this pervasive disorder depends on intellectual abilities: with better intellectual functioning, the possibilities for life adaptation are higher. qEEG shows generally increased delta-theta activity in the brain’s frontal region, which is related to poor cognitive abilities. Brain rate measured in CZ shows slow brain activity related to under-arousal. Pharmacotherapy, behavior therapy, social support, and especially neurofeedback techniques promise slight improvements.
Depression
David E. J. Linden, Isabelle Habes, Stephen J. Johnston, Stefanie Linden, Ranjit Tatineni, Leena Subramanian, Bettina Sorger, David Healy & Rainer Goebe. Real-time self-regulation of emotion networks in patients with depression. PLoS One. 2012; 7(6): e38115.
ABSTRACT
Many patients show no or incomplete responses to current pharmacological or psychological therapies for depression. Here, we explored the feasibility of a new brain self-regulation technique that integrates psychological and neurobiological approaches through neurofeedback with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In a proof-of-concept study, eight patients with depression learned to upregulate brain areas involved in generating positive emotions (such as the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) and insula) during four neurofeedback sessions. Their clinical symptoms, as assessed with the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HDRS), improved significantly. A control group that underwent a training procedure with the same cognitive strategies but without neurofeedback did not improve clinically. Randomized blinded clinical trials are now needed to exclude possible placebo effects and to determine whether fMRI-based neurofeedback might become a valuable adjunct to current therapies for depression.
For many other studies
- The International Society for Neurofeedback and Research maintains a comprehensive bibliography of research articles discussing conditions that are positively affected by neurofeedback by D. Corydon Hammond, PhD, Professor, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, University of Utah School of Medicine and D. Allen Novian, PhD, LMFT, LPC-S, Adjunct Professor, Neurofeedback and Biofeedback, St. Mary’s University. ISNR also has an editorial in defense of EEG biofeedback. ISNR’s official peer-reviewed scientific journal, NeuroRegulation (www.neuroregulation.org), and the archives of ISNR’s Journal of Neurotherapy (www.isnr-jnt.org) also document more research literature.
- The Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback published Evidence-Based Practice in Biofeedback and Neurofeedback (4th ed.), which provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date evidence-based and neuroscientifically supported information on the subject. They also have more information for consumers. A Primer of Biofeedback, an accessible and current introduction to biofeedback and neurofeedback by Drs. Don Moss and Fred Shaffer.
