Electroencephalographic neurofeedback as a tool for reducing harm and risk associated with alcohol use disorder: A critical review

Abstract

Issues Alcohol use disorder (AUD) causes the highest harms around the world. Many people use alcohol to reduce stress and anxiety, considered as risk factors for AUD. Chronic alcohol use leads to changes in the reward system and the high level of stress may exacerbate neuroendocrine responses. Electroencephalographic (EEG) neurofeedback shows reduction of stress, anxiety and alcohol abuse and it could be an important tool for reducing harm and risk associated with AUD. The aim of this paper is to review the studies that investigated the effects of EEG neurofeedback in subjects with AUD and it proposes to discuss this intervention as a tool for reducing harm and risk in AUD. Approach Medline, PsycINFO and LILACS databases were searched and appropriated terms were used. Inclusion criterion was adopted. The year of publication was not limited because of the scarce number of studies. Eighty‐two papers returned and eight were included. A critical review was conducted. Key Findings Most of the papers analysed used the alpha/theta protocol to reduce the ‘hyperexcitation’ of the nervous system. This protocol provides relaxation, decreases anxiety or stress, prevents alcohol relapse, maintains abstinence and increases the feeling of well‐being. Implications EEG neurofeedback has important effects on AUD and anxiety or stress. Studies reinforce the use of EEG neurofeedback as an alternative tool for reducing harm and risk in AUD. Conclusion EEG neurofeedback is an intervention to treat AUD, specifically, to reduce harm and risk. However, more randomised studies are necessary to consolidate the effectiveness of the technique.

A scoping review of electroencephalographic (EEG) markers for tracking neurophysiological changes and predicting outcomes in substance use disorder treatment

“…Although reflecting a promising possible future SUD treatment approach, bio/neurofeedback studies ( N = 6) were excluded due to not using EEG as a Time 1 or Time 2 dependent variable (but only for the treatment), and standing issues in the neurofeedback research field regarding terms of evidence sparsity, methods, and clinical validity. See Dousset et al ( 2020 ), Trambaiolli et al ( 2021 ), Fernández-Álvarez et al ( 2022 ), and Lima et al ( 2022 ) for recent neurofeedback reviews.…”

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 ).…”

Effects of Four Different EEG-Neurofeedback Reinforcement Types in Healthy Individuals – A Pilot Study

“…1 It has been also applied for the suppression of epileptic seizures, 2 for the improvement of cognitive performance in healthy participants, 3 for the training of cognitive function in patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) 4 and treatment of depressive disorders. 5 Several studies have been conducted so far on the benefits of EEG-NFB for a wide range of mental disorders as shown by some more recent reviews (regarding obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): 6 ; ADHD in children: 4,7 ; anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorders: 8 ; alcohol use disorder: 9 ; depression: 5,10 ).…”

“…Several studies have been conducted so far on the benefits of EEG-NFB for a wide range of mental disorders as shown by some more recent reviews (regarding obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): 6 ; ADHD in children: 4,7 ; anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorders: 8 ; alcohol use disorder: 9 ; depression: 5,10 ).…”