EEG Biofeedback Therapy Research Articles

Effect of biofeedback intervention on neurological characteristics of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Objective To evaluate the effects of biofeedback intervention on the neurological characteristics of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methods 150 children aged 6–12 years with ADHD were divided into two groups according to the treatment method. The atomoxetine group received atomoxetine drug treatment, and the combined treatment group received EEG biofeedback therapy. Continuous performance test (CPT), SNAP-IV and WFIRS-P were used to assess attention and behavior, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to observe changes in brain activity. Results The response time, error times, error response rate and attention fluctuation index of CPT in the combined treatment group were significantly lower than those in the atomoxetine group (p < 0.05), and the correct response rate was higher than that in the atomoxetine group (p < 0.05). After intervention, SNAP-IV and WFIRS-P scores in the combined treatment group were significantly lower than those in the atomoxetine group (p < 0.001). fMRI results showed that the activity of the prefrontal, parietal, amygdala and hippocampus in the combined treatment group was significantly higher than that in the atomoxetine group (p < 0.001). Conclusion Biofeedback intervention can significantly improve the attention and behavior of ADHD children and positively regulate the neural activity in related brain areas on the basis of drug treatment, suggesting that biofeedback therapy can be considered as a potential effective nondrug treatment option for ADHD children.

Development of a brain wave model based on the quantitative analysis of EEG and EEG biofeedback therapy in patients with panic attacks during the COVID-19 pandemic

The current global crisis facing the world is the COVID-19 pandemic. Infection from the SARS-CoV-2 virus leads to serious health complications and even death. As it turns out, COVID-19 not only physically assails the health of those infected, but also leads to serious mental illness regardless of the presence of the disease. Social isolation, fear, concern for oneself and one's loved ones, all of this occurs when a pandemic overloads people. People exhibit numerous neurological disorders that have never happened to them before. Patients are diagnosed with frequent panic attacks, the result of which can be seen in their Quantitative Electroencephalogram results. This test may be one of the main diagnostic tools of the COVID-19 pandemic. From the results obtained, it is possible to compare and draw conclusions. This method of testing effectively allows EEG biofeedback training and observes its effect on brain activity. The feedback received in this way gives us the opportunity to properly tailor a protocol for the patient and their conditions. Numerous studies support the effectiveness of EEG biofeedback for panic attacks and other psychiatric disorders. The purpose of our study was to show the effectiveness of EEG biofeedback with a Quantitative Electroencephalogram of the brainwave pattern after having COVID-19 and what symptoms may result.

Application of electroencephalographic (EEG) biofeedback therapy in the rehabilitation of patients with chronic diseases

Schizophrenia is one of the chronic mental disorders characterized by disturbances in thought, emotion, language, perception, and behavior. There is no cure for this disease, and most of the current treatments are palliative. In this study, we aimed to analyze the application of electroencephalographic (EEG) biofeedback therapy, an adjunctive treatment used for many psychiatric disorders, in the rehabilitation of schizophrenic patients.Schizophrenic patients were selected as the experimental subjects, and the initial diagnosis criteria were set accordingly. A primary and a secondary efficacy index was then developed for the evaluation of EEG biofeedback therapy rather than traditional drug treatment. Lastly, the effects of the two methods were compared. The findings indicate that traditional drugs could be used in the treatment of mild schizophrenia, but showed poor results for severe and moderate schizophrenia. EEG biofeedback therapy was effective for the treatment of various degrees of schizophrenia and improved patients’ sleep quality and anxiety. These findings have significant practical implications for the rehabilitation of schizophrenic patients and patients with chronic diseases in general.

Evaluation of cognitive deficits in schizophrenia using event-related potentials and rehabilitation influences using EEG Biofeedback in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Cognitive deficits in schizophrenic patients have a chronic and negative effect on patients' social functioning. Antipsychotic drugs do not sufficiently improve cognitive functions. In this study, an analysis of previous studies on cognitive functions using event-related potentials in schizophrenia patients was conducted on the basis of available publications (Pubmed, Scopus). The studies indicate numerous deviations at various stages of information processing in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia when compared to healthy subjects, and this justifies the need for the development of new methods influencing the bioelectric brain activity in cognitive rehabilitation of these patients. EEG Biofeedback is a method which could be used for rehabilitation of cognitive functions in schizophrenia patients. Despite it being used in practice, the importance of EEG Biofeedback as a rehabilitation influence on cognitive functions in schizophrenia has not been fully ascertained. This paper analyses the results of previous studies on the effect of EEG Biofeedback therapy on cognitive functions as a possible method to be used in the rehabilitation of schizophrenia patients. Currently, the body of research that may prove the value of this method in the rehabilitation of patients with schizophrenia appears to be insufficient, and there is no scientific evidence from randomized studies for the usefulness of EEG Biofeedback in schizophrenia treatment. At the moment, the recommendation of this method in the cognitive rehabilitation of patients is a therapeutic experiment. The researchers, on the basis of an analysis of clinical cases, currently propose that EEG Biofeedback is conducted in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia by experienced practitioners, paying particular attention to strengthening alpha in the right parietal region.

Efficacy of EEG biofeedback therapy in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and its relationship with learning

Objective To investigate the efficacy of EEG biofeedback therapy in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and its relationship with learning in EEG regulation. Methods Fifty-two children with ADHD who completed EEG biofeedback training from August 2015 to February 2019 entered the study according to the inclusion criteria.The children underwent standardized QEEG-based EEG biofeedback training.After 40 training sessions, the study was conducted.The children were divided into learners group (n=39) and non-learners group (n=13), and the difference between learners group and non-learners group in the improvement of ADHD symptoms before and after training was compared. Results After intervention, at the EEG level, the main effects of the number of interventions for θ wave, β wave, SMR and TBR(F(1, 39)=538.49, F(1, 39)=2 712.6, F(1, 39)=7 429.45, F(1, 39)=1.887) were significant(P 0.05). After intervention, the attention deficit subscale score, hyper/impulsive subscale score, ODD subscale score(1.74±0.62 vs 2.12±0.37, 0.48±0.22 vs 0.54±0.48, 0.88±0.43 vs 1.17±0.40)and total score of SNAP-Ⅳ scale(1.01±0.28 vs 1.24±0.18) in the learners were lower than those in the non-learners, and the differences were significant except for the hyper/impulsive subscale (P<0.05). Conclusion EEG biofeedback training can significantly improve EEG activity and ADHD symptoms in children with ADHD.EEG-regulated learners are more likely to improve ADHD symptoms than non-learners. Key words: EEG biofeedback; Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; EEG regulation; Learning

Can brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) be an indicator of effective rehabilitation interventions in schizophrenia?

The increasing body of evidence implies that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is the most common neurotrophin in the nervous system, playing an important role as an effectiveness indicator for rehabilitation interventions in schizophrenia patients. Currently, with the modern laboratory and instrumental diagnostic methods it is possible to diagnose deficits influencing the level of patient's functioning and use them as a basis for establishing individual re-adaptation programs for schizophrenia patients considering various forms of the therapy in different environments. Based on the PubMed and Scopus search tools a review of the available literature was performed and the paper presents current results of studies analyzing a relationship between selected rehabilitation interventions used in schizophrenia patients and changes in BDNF levels (a correlation between BDNF levels and physical activity and EEG Biofeedback therapy). Out of 240 records identified in total, the ones concerning the subject matter of the paper were taken into account. Studies concerning use of the presented method appear to indicate usefulness of BDNF factor in evaluation of effectiveness of implemented rehabilitation interventions in this group of patients. Changes in neurotrophin levels may indicate a synergy of the central and the peripheral nervous system, and high BDNF levels depending on physical activity and a neuromodulating effect of the EEG Biofeedback therapy may indicate their effectiveness. Use of various neurorehabilitation methods may improve the social functioning in schizophrenia patients. Treating BDNF as a biological indicator of those processes may represent an interesting hypothesis.

Selected legal problems of EEG biofeedback therapy under the Polish law

The use of EEG biofeedback for therapeutic or healing purposes has its justification in modern research and recently one can notice the increasing popularity of this method. Possible threats which may be associated with improper training and EEG biofeedback therapy may result from error in the diagnosis or incorrect selection of the training protocol. The effectiveness of therapy depends largely on the efforts of the patient himself, however, the range of waves will be amplified or suppressed by diagnosticians and therapists. If during an EEG biofeedback, the correct neuronal signal is amplified or suppressed, this can have adverse effects. In Poland, there are no legal regulations regarding the acquisition of qualifications for conducting neurotherapy. Likewise, there are no indications as to which institutions have the right to assign appropriate powers to use this type of apparatus. The lack of legal regulations means that now everyone can practice neurotherapy. The article presents selected legal problems related to conducting EEG biofeedback therapy under law, especially under Polish regulations, including the problem of the responsibility of the therapist or trainer.

Neurofeedback therapy in the treatment of tinnitus

Neurofeedback therapy is a fast-growing field of tinnitus treatment, which is a new type of biofeedback therapy. In the past, the "muscle tone" and "blood flow" were used as feedback signals in biofeedback therapy to treat tinnitus, however there was no long-term follow-up report. Instead, neurofeedback therapy utilizes EEG (electroencephalogram) as the feedback signal, which is also called EEG biofeedback therapy. At present, most treatments of tinnitus only record subjective measures of patients as evaluation indicators, whereas neurofeedback therapy is more convincing for using comprehensive evaluation including changes of brain wave as objective indicators and subjective measures of patients. A significant number of tinnitus patients have varying degree of hearing loss. As neurofeedback therapy takes advantage of EEG as feedback signal that is delivered to the patients through visual information, it has unique advantages of being not affected by the degree of hearing loss compared to the sound masking or other sound treatment. Long-term follow-up results showed that the efficacy of neurofeedback therapy was stable after half a year of short-term treatment. This paper summarizes the progress of the various types of biofeedback therapy in the treatment of tinnitus, and focuses on the neurofeedback therapy for the mechanism, indication, process, efficacy evaluation, defect and prospect of neurofeedback therapy in tinnitus treatment in order to help promote the development of domestic clinical neurofeedback therapy in tinnitus.

Clinical study on EEG biofeedback therapy combined with mirtazapine in the treatment of depressive disorder

Objective To investigate the clinical effect and safety of EEG biofeedback therapy combined with mirtazapine in the treatment of depressive disorder. Methods 124 patients with depressive disorder were selected and randomly divided into the observation group and the control group, 62 cases in each group.The control group was given mirtazapine treatment, while the observation group was given EEG biofeedback therapy combined with mirtazapine.All the two groups were treated for 8 weeks.Before and 2, 4, 8 weeks after treatment, the clinical effects in the two groups were evaluated by Hamilton depression scale (HAMD), Montgomerie depression rating scale(MADRS) and the clinical global impression scale(CGI). The side effects scale(TESS) assessment was used to assess the side effects.And the serum norepinephrine (NE), 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT) and dopamine(DA) levels were measured before and 8 weeks after treatment. Results The total effective rate of the observation group was 87.5%, which was significantly higher than 66.1% in the control group(χ2=7.213, P 0.05). Conclusion EEG biofeedback therapy combined with mirtazapine in the treatment of depression is better, the adverse reactions is not significantly increased, and it also has higher clinical safety compared with mirtazapine alone. Key words: Mirtazapine; EEG biofeedback; Depressive disorder

English

English

Evaluation of the efficacy of ADHD treatment with the use of EEG-biofeedback method in comparison to methylphenidate

Aim of the studyThe purpose of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of the EEG-biofeedback (NF) method in ADHD treatment in each of the three basic DSM-IV-TR clinical types.Subject or material and methods85 patients aged 6 to 14 treated in an outpatient department and a day-care department (S) were qualified for the EEG-biofeedback therapy, whereas the control group consisted of 30 patients (C) who were treated with methylphenidate. For the purposes of evaluating the treatment efficacy, a structured interview on the presence of the ADHD symptoms was conducted. The S group patients participated in 20 NF therapy sessions throughout a six-month period. An analysis of electrophysiological parameters of EEG was additionally performed in group S - Th/SMR and Th/Beta ratios in C3 and C4 channels at three points in time (at the beginning, during the course of and at the end of the EEG-biofeedback therapy).ResultsBoth types of S and C group therapies significantly reduce (p &lt; 0.01) the number of attention deficit, hyperactivity and impulsiveness symptoms in subgroups with attention deficit prevalence and mixed type. In all ADHD types, significant decrease in values of the examined Th/SMR and Th/Beta ratios was noted between the sessions 1 and 10.DiscussionThe NF method proved similarly effective as methylphenidate in reducing the number of symptoms, both in the type with prevalence of attention deficit and in the mixed type.ConclusionsThe results of the study are promising, since the EEG-biofeedback therapy was similarly effective as methylphenidate in reducing the aggravation of ADHD symptoms.

An event-related potentials study on children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder before and after EEG biofeedback therapy

Objective To examine the curative effect of EEG biofeedback therapy on children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD),and to investigate the neural mechanism underlying the executive function in children with ADHD.Methods 42 children with ADHD participated a Go/Nogo task before and after the EEG biofeedback therapy which was consisted of 20 times of treatments.The curative effect was evaluated using the behavioral and electrophysiological indexes associated with the Go/Nogo processing in the experiment.Results Commission error significantly decreased after the therapy ( (2.95 ±2.22 ) vs (4.65 ±4.47),P＜0.05 ).Latencies of P2 ( (210.00 ± 27.54) ms vs ( 228.27 ± 34.17 ) ms) and N2 components ( ( 310.59 ± 45.82) ms vs (328.00 ± 42.27)ms) elicited by Go trials significantly exhibited shorter at the end of therapy.Additionally,the amplitude of N2 component elicited by Nogo trials exhibited significantly decreased after therapy ((0.23 ±3.79)μV vs (-1.84 ± 4.23 ) μV,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion The EEG biofeedback therapy is effective in debasing the hyperactivity/impulsive behaviors and improving the ability of target detection,which may be beneficial to the attention ability and conflict detecting in children with ADHD.EEG biofeedback is an effective treatment to ADHD. Key words: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ; EEG biofeedback ; Go/Nogo task ; Event-relat-ed potentials ;

Efficacy of Alfa EEG wave biofeedback in the management of anxiety

Background:Biofeedback is a technique in which people are trained to improve their health by learning to control certain internal bodily processes that normally occur involuntarily. Various studies in the past have shown usefulness of Alfa electroencephalographic (EEG) biofeedback in the alleviation of anxiety symptoms. Though most of the psychiatric centers in the armed forces have this facility, not much work has been done in our setup to assess its efficacy in the management of anxiety. Hence this study was undertaken.Materials and Methods:This study was carried out in a multispecialty Command Hospital by enrolling 100 patients with psychiatric diagnosis from both inpatient and outpatient services. The anxiety level was assessed clinically and by using Hamilton Anxiety Scale and Taylor's Manifest Anxiety Scale. One group of 50 patients was treated with Alfa EEG biofeedback sessions only, 5 times in a week for 8 weeks, along with specific pharmacotherapy. The other group was treated with appropriate dose of anxiolytics. The anxiety level was reassessed after 4 weeks and 8 weeks.Results:The response was better for mixed anxiety and depressive disorder with pharmacotherapy than with the biofeedback, but female patients showed better response with EEG biofeedback.Conclusion:In the short term, Alfa EEG biofeedback therapy is almost as efficacious as pharmacological intervention in the management of anxiety symptoms, and relatively more useful in females.

Effects from EEG biofeedback therapy with combination of respiration and image therapies

Effects from EEG biofeedback therapy with combination of respiration and image therapies

The ethical use of placebo controls in clinical research: the Declaration of Helsinki.

Medical ethicists have questioned the use of no-treatment (placebo and sham procedure) controlled studies of new therapies when safe and effective standard therapies are available for use as an active or "equivalence" control. Current ethical principles of conduct for biomedical research specifically prohibit designs that withhold or deny "the best proven diagnostic and therapeutic" treatment to any participant in a clinical study, including those individuals who consent to randomization into a control group. Studies of psychophysiological therapies are often criticized on the grounds they lack a placebo or sham treatment control group. This paper briefly reviews the history of the problem and discusses the ethical standards that govern human research as derived from the Nuremberg Code and the Declaration of Helsinki. An examination of the problem with regard to research involving EEG biofeedback therapy for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury, and depression serves to highlight the issues. It is concluded that the active treatment control (treatment equivalence) design is most appropriate for those clinical studies examining disorders for which there is a known, effective treatment. Sham- or placebo-controlled studies are ethically acceptable for those disorders for which no effective treatment is available.

Effects of 18.5 Hz Auditory and Visual Stimulation on EEG Amplitude at the Vertex

Abstract Recently, audio-visual stimulation (AVS) has been proposed to be effective as an adjunct to EEG biofeedback (neurofeedback) therapy, when used as a “priming stimulus” to activate desired cortical frequencies. Since standard neurofeedback therapies for ADD/HD involve training subjects to enhance activity in the 13-21 Hz bandpass, we hypothesized that this activity could also be enhanced by AVS at a constant frequency in this range. Further, we hypothesized that auditory or visual stimulation alone might induce an entrainment effect. EEG was recorded from fifteen college students under the following conditions: (A) auditory stimulation alone, with eyes open; (B) auditory stimulation alone, with eyes closed; (C) visual stimulation alone, with eyes closed; (D) both auditory and visual stimulation, with eyes closed. An eyes-closed and eyes-open baseline condition were recorded prior to the first session. An ANOVA on the differences between the four stimulation conditions and baseline revealed no signi...