Research on Neurofeedback

Early research in the field of Neurofeedback was poorly designed and often done with a slant toward either finding results or not finding results based on the perspective of the researchers. Big Pharmacy has also funded research to “prove” neurofeedback is less effective than the medications they are producing. Effective research should be part of a peer reviewed unbiased approach to a research question. When researchers have a stake in the outcome, or are funded by those who do, the results become suspect.

Another complicating factor is that neurofeedback is best applied as a tailored treatment based on the specific needs of each person. At The Centered Brain, we create individualized protocols based on the results of Qualitative EEG (qEEG) brain mapping which compares the electrical activity of our client to a that of a database of same ages individuals who have been assessed as having no known diagnosis. We look to see where the client’s brain is more than a standard deviation outside the norm and begin to build our protocols from there. This approach is difficult to apply to large scale research in which larger numbers of subjects are given one treatment (experimental group) while others are not given a treatment (control group).

Even with these challenges, there is a growing body of evidence indicating biofeedback and neurofeedback as a powerful, non-invasive, long-term solution for several otherwise chronic conditions.

The following are resources that explore neurofeedback and biofeedback:

• The Body Keeps The Score by Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk (New York Times Best Seller)
• The Symphony Of The Brain: The Evolution of the New Brain Wave Biofeedback by Jim Robins
• Neurofeedback in the Treatment of Developmental Trauma by Sebern Fisher

Useful Links:
Research organized by diagnoses/symptoms from EEGINFO.com

Brain Futures (an organization bridging the gap between research and practice) has a comprehensive report on Neurofeedback – An Efficacious Treatment for Behavioral Health

Brain Training: The Future of Psychiatric Treatment? – Harvard University Graduate School of Arts and Science

The Frontiers of Human Neuroscience have compiled 15 articles on neurofeedback and ADD.

Research organized by diagnoses/symptoms from EEGSPECTRUM.com

ADDitude Magazine – Neurofeedback for ADD

Train The Brain: Using Neurofeedback To Treat ADHD – NPR Morning Edition broadcast

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) video on Neurofeedback in the treatment of Autism

NIMH Funds Definitive Study of Neurofeedback for ADHD

A study from the National Library of Medicine indicates that “ a significant reduction of PTSD severity was observed. This effect was comparable to those reported for conventional neurofeedback approach.”

What’s been said about Neurofeedback…….

Frank Duffy, MD, Neurologist, Head of the Neuroimaging Department and of Neuroimaging Research at Boston Children’s Hospital, and Harvard Medical School Professor, conducted an independent review of the literature on neurofeedback for Clinical Electroencephalography (2000). He summarized his findings as follows:

The literature, which lacks any negative study of substance, suggests that EEG biofeedback therapy should play a major therapeutic role in many difficult areas. In my opinion, if any medication had demonstrated such a wide spectrum of efficacy, it would be universally accepted and widely used.

The January 2005 special issue of Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America was devoted to emerging interventions that affect brain function. Neurofeedback was featured in seven of the ten chapters in the volume. The volume editors provided an overview and clinical perspective on all the approaches presented. About neurofeedback they concluded:

EEG biofeedback meets the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry criteria for clinical guidelines (CG) for treatment of ADHD, seizure disorders, anxiety (OCD, GAD, PTSD, phobias), depression, reading disabilities, and addictive disorders. This suggests that EEG biofeedback should always be considered as an intervention for these disorders by the clinician.