Efficacy of Neurofeedback for Children in the Autistic Spectrum: A Pilot Study Betty Jarusiewicz, PhD Journal of Neurotherapy 2002 Background. The efficacy of neurofeedback training was evaluated in 12 children in the autistic spectrum with matched controls, based on established training protocols for other conditions with similar symptoms. Method. Twenty-four autistic children were divided into two groups, matched by sex, age, and disorder severity. One group received neurofeedback training and the second acted as a control group. Responses to the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklists (ATEC) and parental assessments of problem behaviors were analyzed to evaluate the effectiveness of neurofeedback training for this condition. Results. Neurofeedback training resulted in a 26% average reduction in total ATEC rated autism symptoms, compared to 3% for the control group. Parental assessments reported improvement in all behavioral categories: socialization, vocalization, anxiety, schoolwork, tantrums, and sleep, compared with minimal changes in the control group. Discussion. Autistic spectrum children who underwent neurofeedback training showed significant improvements in autism symptoms and behaviors. The magnitude of improvement was independent of initial severity or age. Gates, States, Rhythms, and Resonances: The Scientific Basis of Neurofeedback Training Andrew Abarbanel, Ph.D., M.D. This paper is technical in nature but a very worthwhile (and read-able) overview of Neurofeedback Training and how it works. This paper presents a set of electrophysiological and neurophysiological processes as bases for the efficacy of neurofeedback training (NT) for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and schizophrenia. It then suggests neurophysiological commonalities between these disorders to explain the observed efficacy of NT for depression and OCD, and to suggest the possibility of adapting it to treat schizophrenia. (complete paper) Neurofeedback with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder D. Corydon Hammond, PhD Professor, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah Introduction.Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is often less than optimally treated using medication or behavior therapy. However, qEEG and neuroimaging research have identified brain patterns associated with OCD (Prichep et al., 1993). Method.Two patients with OCD were screened with the Padua Inventory, the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, qEEG, and in one case, the MMPI. Each patient displayed different qEEG patterns associated with OCD. Neurofeedback individualized to qEEG findings was used. Results.At the conclusion of treatment, the two patients were again administered the Padua Inventory, and an independent colleague conducted the structured interview associated with the Yale-Brown Scale. The MMPI was also administered again. These results and follow-up questioning at four months and more than one-year post-treatment validated highly successful changes. Conclusion.EEG neurofeedback appears to hold promise for treating OCD, which has been firmly established to be associated with abnormal brain patterns. References. Prichep, L. S., Mas, F., Hollander, E., Liebowitz, M., John, E. R., Almas, M., et al. (1993). Quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) subtyping of obsessive compulsive disorder. Psychiatry Research, 50 (1), 25-32. EEG Biofeedback: A New Treatment Option For ADD/ADHD Marabella A. Alhambra, M.D., Timothy P. Fowler, and Antonio A. Alhambra, M.D.   Attention Deficit Disorder is commonly treated with stimulant medications such as Ritalin (methylphenidate). However, this medication has short-term effects and numerous undesirable side effects. Ritalin (Methylphenidate) lasts only for 3 or 4 hours in the nervous system. As soon as the medication wears off, full blown symptoms of ADD and ADHD appear. Furthermore, Ritalin has numerous undesirable side-effects such as insomnia, loss of appetite, inhibited growth, and depression. This study explores using EEG biofeedback, with its minimal side effects and long-term results, as an alternative to pharmacological treatments for ADD. (complete study) Treatment of fibromyalgia incorporating EEG-Driven stimulation: a clinical outcomes study. J Clin Psychol. 2001 Jul;57(7):933-52. Mueller HH, Donaldson CC, Nelson DV, Layman M. Thirty patients from a private clinical practice who met the 1990 American College of Rheumatology criteria for fibromyalgia syndrome (FS) were followed prospectively through a brainwave-based intervention known as electroencephalograph (EEG)-driven stimulation or EDS. Patients were initially treated with EDS until they reported noticeable improvements in mental clarity, mood, and sleep. Self-reported pain, then, having changed from vaguely diffuse to more specifically localized, was treated with very modest amounts of physically oriented therapies. Pre- to posttreatment and extended follow-up comparisons of psychological and physical functioning indices, specific FS symptom ratings, and EEG activity revealed statistically significant improvements. EDS appeared to be the prime initiator of therapeutic efficacy. Future research is justified for controlled clinical trials and to better understand disease mechanisms. Quantitative EEG Abnormalities in a Sample of Dyslexic Persons James R. Evans, Ph.D. Nan-Sook Park, M.A. Definitions of terms such as dyslexia and specific reading disability commonly recognize a basis in central nervous system dysfunction. Past research has related this dysfunction to both structural and neural timing abnormalities. The present study used QEEG findings to provide further evidence for neural timing/ coherence abnormalities in reading disabled persons. Eight children and two adults were diagnosed with specific reading disability based on standard psychoeducational assessment. QEEG’s were obtained from each using Lexicor Neurosearch 24 equipment, and analyzed Using the Thatcher Life Span Reference Data Base. Standard print-outs depicting coherence, phase, amplitude asymmetry, and relative power abnormalities of each subject were inspected, and tallies made of the most frequently occurring significant deviations from the norms. The following abnormalities were found in 70% or more of the subjects: 1. abnormal coherence between one or more combinations of sites P3, T5, T3, 01; 2. an equal to or greater than 1.411 ratio of left to right side coherence abnormalities; 3. coherence abnormalities between posterior sites more often involved decreased rather than increased coherence; 4. at least five abnormalities (or any type) involving site P3; 5. at least three abnormalities (coherence, phase, asymmetry) involving frontal-parietal sites. These data appear to have relevance for neurofeedback. Phase/coherence (neural timing) training and emphasis on site P3 may be especially useful in some cases of reading disability. (complete paper)

Neurofeedback Training: Integration with Diet and Detoxification Programs Victoria L. Ibric, MD, PhD James E. McCourt, PhD Journal of Neurotherapy 2002 Introduction. This is a single case-study of the evaluation and training with neurofeedback of a 51-year-old male presenting multiple insults: (a) stress-related disorders: high blood pressure (180/105 mmHg, medicated), arrhythmia, anxiety disorder (Beck-anxiety scale) and overlapping ADD symptomatology (based on DSM-IV questionnaire for ADD); (b) chronic toxic exposure to mercury; and (c) Verapamil, the calcium channel blocker, used for over two years significantly imbalanced the tissue content of calcium and magnesium. Methods. Treatment design consisted of a diet and detoxification program in parallel with the neurofeedback training. Results and Discussion. Preliminary data suggest that: (a) biofeedback/ neurofeedback is a positive factor in decreasing reliance on medications, (b) detoxification is a cofactor in helping rebuild neural networks that have been affected by chemical and/or trauma insults, and (c) the recovery has a long-term positive outcome and the peak performance achieved was an added benefit. KEYWORDS. Neurofeedback protocols, high blood pressure, arrhythmia, anxiety disorder, attention deficit disorder, peak performance, diet/ detoxification program, trace mineral analysis, mercury toxicity Positive Outcome With Neurofeedback Treatment In a Case of Mild Autism Arthur G. Sichel, Lester G. Fehmi, and David M. Goldstein This article looks at the experience of Frankie, an autistic 8 and 1/2 year old boy. He was diagnosed mildly autistic by several specialists. One specialist claimed he was brain damaged and "autistic-like " and that there was no hope for improvement. At Frankie's mother's request, neurotherapy diagnosis and treatment was begun. After 31 sessions, Frankie showed positive changes in all the diagnostic dimensions defining autism in DSM-111-P, This has profound implications for treatment in a field with few low-risk alternatives. (full article) Research Questions Use of Antidepressants for Children When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration did a review of data on the SSRIs Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, Effexor, Serzone and Remeron in response to concerns about possible suicide risks, it asked for unpublished studies conducted by the drug companies. Some of those showed the drugs as no more effective than a placebo a dummy pill. Often, when drug companies fund clinical trials, they submit the positive results to be published in medical journals, but keep the negative studies under wraps. Laura Smith, author of "Depression for Dummies" and a clinical psychologist with Presbyterian Medical Group, said, "Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could give someone a drug and they would get better?" "What is really disturbing is that a lot of research that was not published is pretty clear that at the least it (treatment with SSRIs) doesn't work very well, if it's not downright dangerous." Part of the problem with testing drugs in children is that they have a high response rate to placebos, Adelsheim said. Depending on the drug and the study, up to half the kids may get better just taking the dummy pill. Looking at depression as something that can be cured with only a drug is simplistic, Smith said. "In 25 years I haven't seen children depressed without some other cause," she said. (more) Clinical Use of an Alpha Asymmetry Neurofeedback Protocol in the Treatment of Mood Disorders: Follow-Up Study One to Five Years Post-Therapy Elsa Baehr, PhD, J. Peter Rosenfeld, PhD, Rufus Baehr, PhD Journal of Neurotherapy 2001 Background: This study reports on three of six patients who have completed an average of 27 neurofeedback sessions using a patented alpha asymmetry protocol for the treatment of depression. Method: The follow-up data, from one to five years post therapy, were derived from a single session re-test using the same alpha asymmetry protocol and the Beck Depression Inventory. Results: The three patients originally diagnosed as having unipolar depression reached the training criteria for the non-depressed range by the end of their initial training, and they have maintained their normal scores for right hemisphere alpha asymmetry training over time. The follow-up Beck Depression Inventory scores were also within the normal range. Discussion: This finding is contrary to the previously held demonstrations by Davidson and Henriques regarding the stability of decreased left anterior cortical activation in remitted depression. While some patients have reported mood changes with life's vicissitudes, none have experienced clinical depression since they have terminated therapy. EEG and behavioral changes following neurofeedback treatment in learning disabled children. Clin Electroencephalogr. 2003 Jul;34(3):145-52. Fernandez T, Herrera W, Harmony T, Diaz-Comas L, Santiago E, Sanchez L, Bosch J, Fernandez-Bouzas A, Otero G, Ricardo-Garcell J, Barraza C, Aubert E, Galan L, Valdes R. Instituto de Neurobiologia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Juriquilla, QRO. 76230, Mexico. Neurofeedback (NFB) is an operant conditioning procedure, by which the subject learns to control his/her EEG activity. On one hand, Learning Disabled (LD) children have higher values of theta EEG absolute and relative power than normal children, and on the other hand, it has been shown that minimum alpha absolute power is necessary for adequate performance. Ten LD children were selected with higher than normal ratios of theta to alpha absolute power (theta/alpha). The Test Of Variables of Attention (TOVA) was applied. Children were divided into two groups in order to maintain similar IQ values, TOVA values, socioeconomical status, and gender for each group. In the experimental group, NFB was applied in the region with highest ratio, triggering a sound each time the ratio fell below a threshold value. Noncontingent reinforcement was given to the other group. Twenty half-hour sessions were applied, at a rate of 2 per week. At the end of the 20 sessions, TOVA, WISC and EEG were obtained. There was significant improvement in WISC performance in the experimental group that was not observed in the control group. EEG absolute power decreased in delta, theta, alpha and beta bands in the experimental group. Control children only showed a decrease in relative power in the delta band. All changes observed in the experimental group and not observed in the control group indicate better cognitive performance and the presence of greater EEG maturation in the experimental group, which suggests that changes were due not only to development but also to NFB treatment. For more information on Crossroads Institute www.crossroadsinstitute.org