5
views
0
recommends
+1 Recommend
0 collections
    0
    shares
      • Record: found
      • Abstract: found
      • Article: found
      Is Open Access

      Seeking Alpha: Can Neurofeedback Actually Work?

      article-commentary
      Epilepsy Currents
      SAGE Publications

      Read this article at

      Bookmark
          There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

          Abstract

          Neurofeedback Impacts Cognition and Quality of Life in Pediatric Focal Epilepsy: An Exploratory Randomized Double-Blinded Sham-Controlled Trial

          Morales-Quezada L, Martinez D, El-Hagrassy MM, et al. Epilepsy Behav . 2019;101(pt A):106570. doi: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2019.106570.

          Objective:

          Children with epilepsy experience cognitive deficits and well-being issues that have detrimental effects on their development. Pharmacotherapy is the standard of care in epilepsy; however, few interventions exist to promote cognitive development and to mitigate disease burden. We aimed to examine the impact of 2 different modalities of neurofeedback (NFB) on cognitive functioning and quality of life (QOL) measurements in children and adolescents with controlled focal epilepsy. The study also explored the effects of NFB on clinical outcomes and electroencephalography (EEG) quantitative analysis.

          Methods:

          Participants (n = 44) with controlled focal epilepsy were randomized to 1 of 3 arms: sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) NFB (n = 15), slow cortical potentials (SCP) NFB (n = 16), or sham NFB (n = 13). All participants received 25 sessions of intervention. The attention switching task (AST), Liverpool Seizure Severity Scale, seizure frequency, EEG power spectrum, and coherence were measured at baseline, postintervention, and at 3-month follow-up.

          Results:

          In children and adolescents with controlled focal epilepsy, SMR training significantly reduced reaction time in the AST ( P = .006), and this was correlated with the difference of change for θ power on EEG ( P = .03); only the SMR group showed a significant decrease in β coherence ( P = .03). All groups exhibited improvement in QOL ( P ≤ .05).

          Conclusions:

          This study provides the first data on 2 NFB modalities (SMR and SCP) including cognitive, neurophysiological, and clinical outcomes in pediatric epilepsy. Sensorimotor rhythm NFB improved cognitive functioning, while all the interventions showed improvements in QOL, demonstrating a powerful placebo effect in the sham group.

          Related collections

          Most cited references5

          • Record: found
          • Abstract: found
          • Article: not found

          EEG Neurofeedback Training in Children With Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Cognitive and Behavioral Outcome Study.

          Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a highly prevalent childhood disorder with symptoms of inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. EEG neurofeedback training (NFT) is a new intervention modality based on operant conditioning of brain activity, which helps reduce symptoms of ADHD in children.
            Bookmark
            • Record: found
            • Abstract: found
            • Article: not found

            Neurofeedback treatment of epilepsy.

            With electroencephalographic (EEG) biofeedback (or neurofeedback), it is possible to train the brain to de-emphasize rhythms that lead to generation and propagation of seizure and emphasize rhythms that make seizures less likely to occur. With recent improvements in quantitative EEG measurement and improved neurofeedback protocols, it has become possible in clinical practice to eliminate seizures or reduce the amount of medication required to control them. In this article, the history of neurofeedback for epilepsy is presented followed by discussions of the relevant neurophysiology of epilepsy. A model of how neurofeedback might raise the seizure threshold is then presented. Clinical experience using a quantitative EEG-guided approach is described, including a representative case study.
              Bookmark
              • Record: found
              • Abstract: found
              • Article: found
              Is Open Access

              A Systematic Review of the Effect of Neurofeedback in Cancer Patients

              Introduction: Neurofeedback (NF) or electroencephalogram (EEG)-Biofeedback is a drug-free form of brain training to directly alter the underlying neural mechanisms of cognition and behavior. It is a technique that measures a subject’s EEG signal, processes it in real time, with the goal to enable a behavioral modification by modulating brain activity. The most common application of the NF technology is in epilepsies, migraine, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, affective disorders, and psychotic disorders. Few studies have investigated the use of NF in context of psychosomatic illnesses. Little is known about the use in cancer patients or postcancer survivors despite the high number of this patient group. Objectives: We here provide a systematic review of the use and effect of NF on symptoms and burden in cancer patients and long-term cancer survivors. Methods: In conducting this systematic review, we followed the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) Statement. Results: Our search resulted in only 3 experimental studies, 1 observational study, and 2 case reports. Given the heterogeneity of the intervention systems and protocols, no meta-analysis was conducted. Conclusion: Altogether, there is initial evidence that NF is a complementary, drug-free, and noninvasive therapy that has the potential to ameliorate symptoms in this patient group, such as pain, fatigue, depression, and sleep. Further studies are highly needed.
                Bookmark

                Author and article information

                Journal
                Epilepsy Curr
                Epilepsy Curr
                EPI
                spepi
                Epilepsy Currents
                SAGE Publications (Sage CA: Los Angeles, CA )
                1535-7597
                1535-7511
                13 April 2020
                May-Jun 2020
                : 20
                : 3
                : 134-135
                Author information
                https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6023-9430
                Article
                10.1177_1535759720916178
                10.1177/1535759720916178
                7281893
                af8b302a-3e8d-4f38-a5bc-591f95a2fea4
                © The Author(s) 2020

                This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work as published without adaptation or alteration, without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages ( https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

                History
                Categories
                Current Literature in Clinical Science
                Custom metadata
                May–June 2020
                ts3

                Comments

                Comment on this article