Research Work
There has been a lot of scientific research which demonstrates the success of neurofeedback in the treatment of several disorders. For more than 30 years neurofeedback has shown very good results in the treatment of attention disorders (AD/HD and all of its subtypes), with improvements equivalent to that from stimulant medication. In fact, individuals with attention disorders often become completely free of medications such as Ritalin following neurofeedback treatment. Moreover, in 10 year follow-up research, about 80% of patients will continue to have eliminated or reduced AD/HD symptoms.
In
addition, there is a wealth of evidence to indicate the effectiveness
of
neurofeedback when used to reduce or eliminate seizures (e.g.
epilepsy), and
symptoms related to other organic brain conditions such as autism
spectrum
disorder. There is also research to
suggest that neurofeedback can successfully be used to remediate the
effects
of: traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),
addictions,
anxiety and stress, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and
depression.
Furthermore,
numerous studies have highlighted the success of neurofeedback when
used for
cognitive/performance enhancement in: professionals and executives,
athletes
and golfers, artists and musicians, etc. In addition, neurofeedback is
also being
investigated as a technique to minimise age-related cognitive decline
(e.g.
increasing memory capacity).
A comprehensive list
of scientific, peer-reviewed journal article references and further
reading
recommendations can be found by clicking on ADHD research or Stress and perforrmance research.
A
select choice of research Abstracts from recently published scientific
journals
can be seen below:
Efficacy of
Neurofeedback Treatment in ADHD: the Effects on Inattention,
Impulsivity and
Hyperactivity: a Meta-Analysis
Martijn Arns,
Sabine de Ridder, Ute Strehl, Marinus Breteler and Anton Coenen
Abstract
About one third of patients with epilepsy do
not benefit from medical treatment. For these patients
electroencephalographic
(EEG) biofeedback is a viable alternative. EEG biofeedback, or
neurofeedback,
normalizes or enhances EEG activity by means of operant 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.
This technique is also used by many practitioners, 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 providing 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.
Journal of
Clinical EEG & Neuroscience
Volume 40, Issue 3 , July
2009, Pages 180-189
Effect of neurofeedbacktraining on the neural
substrates of selective attention in children with
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder:
A functional magnetic resonance imaging study
Johanne Lévesque, Mario Beauregard and
Boualem Mensour
Abstract
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
(AD/HD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder mainly characterized by
impairments in
cognitive functions. Functional neuroimaging studies carried out in
individuals
with AD/HD have shown abnormal functioning of the anterior cingulate
cortex
(ACC) during tasks involving selective attention. In other respects,
there is
mounting evidence that neurofeedback training (NFT) can significantly
improve
cognitive functioning in AD/HD children. In this context, the present
functional magnetic resonance imaging ( fMRI) study was conducted to
measure
the effect of NFT on the neural substrates of selective attention in
children
with AD/HD. Twenty AD/HD children—not taking any psychostimulant and
without
co-morbidity-participated to the study. Fifteen children were randomly
assigned
to the Experimental (EXP) group (NFT), whereas the other five children
were
assigned to the Control (CON) group (no NFT). Subjects from both groups
were
scanned 1 week before the beginning of the NFT (Time 1) and 1 week
after the
end of this training (Time 2), while they performed a Counting Stroop
task. At
Time 1, for both groups, the Counting Stroop task was associated with
significant loci of activation in the left superior parietal lobule. No
activation was noted in the ACC. At Time 2, for both groups, the
Counting
Stroop task was still associated with significant activation of the
left
superior parietal lobule. This time, however, for the EXP group only
there was
a significant activation of the right ACC. These results suggest that
in AD/HD
children, NFT has the capacity to normalize the functioning of the ACC,
the key
neural substrate of selective attention.
Neuroscience Letters
Volume 394, Issue 3 , 20
February 2006 , Pages 216-221
The effects of
alpha/theta neurofeedback on personality and mood
Joshua Raymond, Carolyn Varney, Lesley A.
Parkinson and John H. Gruzelier
Abstract
Cognitive Brain Research
Volume 23, Issues 2-3 , May
2005, Pages 287-292