Neurofeedback for insomnia: Current state of research

Abstract

BACKGROUND Chronic insomnia affects about 6%-13% of the Canadian population. Although treatments already exist, they each have their own issues. Neurofeedback is a neuromodulation technique that specifically targets abnormal brain activity and is gaining attention as a possible insomnia treatment. AIM To review the latest studies pertaining to the use of neurofeedback in the treatment of insomnia. METHODS In this non-systematic review, only experimental studies assessing the effects of neurofeedback on patients with insomnia were targeted across four bibliographic databases. RESULTS A total of 12 studies were retained. All neurofeedback studies included in this study showed a clear improvement of subjective sleep. However, data concerning objective improvement are contradictory. Most studies regarding surface and z-score neurofeedback show that neurofeedback targeting the sensorimotor rhythm in the sensorimotor cortex may help improve subjective sleep. A placebo effect seems also to be present in some studies. Several limitations were present in each study. CONCLUSION While studies concerning neurofeedback as a treatment for insomnia are encouraging, many methodological barriers remain to be resolved to prove its efficacy unequivocally. More studies using robust design parameters, as well as the replication of existing studies, are necessary to support neurofeedback as an effective treatment for insomnia.

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“…Neuromodulation techniques, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial electrical stimulation, offer viable therapeutic potentials [249]. Non-invasive brain stimulation therapies, including transcranial ultrasound-neuromuscular stimulation therapy and light therapy, show promise for insomnia patients during stroke recovery [250].…”

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“…Neurofeedback, the practice of presenting individuals with their brain's real-time neural signals, surprisingly enhances pain self-regulation-a process one would expect to be driven by the strong signal of pain itself-by providing insights into the neural underpinnings of their pain experience (deCharms et al, 2005). Such techniques also address disorders like insomnia, anxiety, depression, and more (Alvarez et al, 2008;Chiba et al, 2019;Tolin et al, 2020;Lambert-Beaudet et al, 2021). The efficacy of neurofeedback in conditions like ADHD (Arns et al, 2014) and depression (Trambaiolli et al, 2021) mirrors the benefits of meditation (Hofmann et al, 2011(Hofmann et al, , 2015Stefan and Hofmann, 2019), both enhancing concentration and emotion regulation through similar neural mechanisms (Braboszcz et al, 2010).…”

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