Is Alpha Wave Neurofeedback Effective with Randomized Clinical Trials in Depression? A Pilot Study

Abstract

Frontal asymmetric activation has been proposed to be the underlying mechanism for depression. Some case studies have reported that the enhancement of a relative right frontal alpha activity by an asymmetry neurofeedback training leads to improvement in depressive symptoms. In the present study, we examined whether a neurofeedback training designed to increase the relative activity of the right frontal alpha band would have an impact on symptoms of depressive subjects suffering from emotional, behavioral, and cognitive problems. Our results indicated that the asymmetry neurofeedback training increased the relative right frontal alpha power, and it remained effective even after the end of the total training sessions. In contrast to the training group, the placebo control group did not show a difference. The neurofeedback training had profound effects on emotion and cognition. First, we replicated earlier findings that enhancing the left frontal activity led to alleviation of depressive symptoms. Moreover, cognitive tests revealed that the asymmetry training improved performance of executive function tests, whereas the placebo treatment did not show improvement. We preliminarily concluded that the asymmetry training is important for controlling and regulating emotion, and it may facilitate the left frontal lobe function.

Infra-Low Frequency Neurofeedback in Depression: Three case studies

“…For the above reasons, our approach differs from the conventional protocols for the treatment of depression that are based on models of altered hemispheric asymmetry, and use either an alpha asymmetry protocol (Baehr & Baehr, 1997;Baehr et al, 2001;Baehr, Rosefeld, Baehr, & Earnest, 1998, 1999Choi et al, 2011;Dias & Van Deusen, 2011;Earnest, 1999;Rosenfeld, 2000;Rosenfeld et al, 1996) or a relative left frontal beta enhancement with concomitant theta suppression (Othmer et al, 1999), or a theta/beta ratio reduction (Dias & Van Deusen, 2011). However, as the results of the present study indicate, the application of our protocol turns out to be as effective as conventional protocols.…”

EEG-based upper-alpha neurofeedback for cognitive enhancement in major depressive disorder: A preliminary, uncontrolled study

“…The results obtained, although encouraging, represent uncontrolled case series and thus controlled research is required to better evaluate its effectiveness [13]. To the best of the authors' knowledge, only one study performed a clinical trial reporting a reduction in depression while improving executive function [14]. In addition to the little evidence accumulated to date, the rationale behind that intervention is still unclear.…”

Combined Neurofeedback and Heart Rate Variability Training for Individuals with Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression: A Retrospective Study

“…Choi et al (2011) found positive results with the ALAY protocol in their pilot trial of 24 people with MDD. Participants in the active arm of this randomized, placebo-controlled pilot study who received 10 sessions of neurofeedback at F3 and F4 experienced significant improvement in their depression scores.…”