Cognitive Decline

Although better and more well-controlled research is needed preliminary neurofeedback treatment outcome studies of closed and open brain injuries too numerous to cite have been published. For example, Schoenberger et al (2001) compared treatment (25 sessions) with the Low Energy Neurofeedback System (LENS) of 9 mild and 3 moderate TBI patients with a wait-list control group. They found significant improvement in measures of attention and recall. Thornton and Carmody (2005) found 186% improvement in memory scores in TBI patients treated with neurofeedback compared to a control group with no TBI history. When Thornton and Carmody (2008) compared neurocognitive rehabilitation strategies, medication treatment, and neurofeedback treatment in an effect size analysis, neurofeedback appeared more efficacious than other treatment strategies. Ayers (1999) has even brought many patients out of coma using neurofeedback.” Uncontrolled epileptic seizures have been effectively treated using neurofeedback. Research in this area began in the early 1970’s, including blind, placebo-controlled and cross-over studies (reviewed in Sterman, 2000). Neurofeedback has been found to be helpful in many forms of epilepsy, including grand mal, complex partial, and petit mal (absence) seizures. Although the larger proportion of seizure patients are adequately controlled by medication, most of the individuals who have been treated with neurofeedback in research studies are among the most severe epilepsy patients, where anticonvulsant drug therapy was unable to control their seizures. However, even in this most severe group of patients, research found that neurofeedback training on average produced a 70% reduction in seizures. In these severe cases of medically intractable epilepsy, neurofeedback was able to facilitate greater control of seizures in 82% of patients, often reducing the level of medication required, which can be very positive given the long-term negative effects of some medications. Many patients, however, will need to remain on some level of medication following neurofeedback. Training often requires 50 sessions or more. Treatment outcome studies of closed and open head brain injuries are also now beginning to be seen, as well as with stroke, but better research still needs to be done in these latter areas.