Efficacy of Neuro-Feedback Training for PTSD Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

If the negative emotions experienced in life become trauma, they affect daily life. Neuro-feedback technology has recently been introduced as a treatment, but many different neuro-feedback protocols and methods exits. This study conducted a meta-analysis of neuro-feedback training for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms to evaluate the effects of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalogram (EEG)-based neuro-feedback training. A search of PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Science Direct, and ClinicalTrials.gov was conducted from January 2011 to December 2021. The studies’ quality was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool and publication bias was assessed by Egger’s regression test. Seven studies that met the inclusion criteria were used for the systematic review and meta-analysis. EEG was more effective than fMRI for PTSD symptoms, and the effect on PTSD symptoms was higher than on anxiety and depression. There was no difference in the effectiveness of the training sessions. Our findings showed that EEG-based neuro-feedback training was more helpful for training PTSD symptoms. Additionally, the methods were also shown to be valid for evaluating clinical PTSD diagnoses. Further research is needed to establish a gold standard protocol for the EEG-based neuro-feedback training (EEG-NFT) method for PTSD symptoms.

Transtorno de estresse pós-traumático e interações psicofisiológicas de padrões cerebrais, exercício e tratamento não medicamentoso: uma revisão integrativa

“…Specifically in the treatment of PTSD, training with NFBK for autoregulatory neuromodulation has been effective in improving symptoms (85).…”

Systematic review and meta-analysis of neurofeedback and its effect on posttraumatic stress disorder

“…Prior systematic reviews and meta-analyses on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have shown promising results using electroencephalogram (EEG) NF for PTSD but used traditional EEG NF technologies and with very small numbers of patients ( 1 ). More recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses have included duplicate studies ( 2 ) or non-randomized studies ( 2 , 3 ) or been incomplete in their systematic review of RCTs ( 4 , 5 ). Additionally, several RCTS (using newer forms of deep brain feedback—functional magnetic resonance imaging [fMRI] NF and fMRI informed EEG NF) have been published in the past 2–3 years.…”

Neurofeedback and meditation technology in outpatient offender treatment: a feasibility and usability pilot study

“…In neurofeedback training, users learn to manipulate their neural activity based on direct feedback from the device. Since neurofeedback has been successfully used in treatment of impulse control problems in non-offenders ( Sokhadze et al, 2008 ; van Doren et al, 2019 ; Hong and Park, 2022 ; Lima et al, 2022 ; Moreno-García et al, 2022 ) and is thought to target neural and cognitive processes that underlie offending behaviors ( Bijlsma et al, 2022 ), it could also be a meaningful neurorehabilitation method in offender treatment ( Van Outsem, 2011 ).…”