QEEG Guided Neurofeedback Therapy in Personality Disorders: 13 Case Studies

Abstract

According to DSM-IV, personality disorder constitutes a class only when personality traits are inflexible and maladaptive and cause either significant functional impairment or subjective distress. Classical treatment of choice for personality disorders has been psychotherapy and/or psychopharmacotherapy. Our study is to determine if subjects with antisocial personality disorders will benefit from quantitative EEG (qEEG) guided neurofeedback treatment. Thirteen subjects (9 male, 4 female) ranged in age from 19 to 48 years. All the subjects were free of medications and illicit drugs. We excluded subjects with other mental disorders by clinical assessment. Psychotherapy or psychopharmacotherapy or any other treatment model was not introduced to any of the subjects during or after neurofeedback treatment. For the subject who did not respond to neurofeedback, training was applied with 38 sessions of LORETA neurofeedback training without success. Evaluation measures included qEEG analysis with Nx Link data base, MMPI, T.O.V.A tests and SA-45 questionaries at baseline, and at the end of neurofeedback treatment. Lexicor qEEG signals were sampled at 128 Hz with 30 minutes-neurofeedback sessions completed between 80-120 sessions depending on the case, by Biolex neurofeedback system. At baseline and after every 20 sessions, patients were recorded with webcam during the interview. Twelve out of 13 subjects who received 80-120 sessions of neurofeedback training showed significant improvement based on SA-45 questionaries, MMPI, T.O.V.A. and qEEG/Nx Link data base (Neurometric analysis) results, and interviewing by parent/family members. Neurofeedback can change the view of psychiatrists and psychologists in the future regarding the treatment of personality disorders. This study provides the first evidence for positive effects of neurofeedback treatment in antisocial personality disorders. Further study with controls is warranted.

The Kind of Mental Health Problems and it Association with Aggressiveness: A Study on Security Guards

“…Overall, childhood trauma experiences can be established as risk factors for mental health problems among the security guard. The findings are supported by previous studies [37][39] [52], although not specifically on security guard. Thus, experience of childhood trauma should be considered when dealing with problems of mental health among security guard.…”

What is Neurofeedback: An Update

“…Smith and Sams (2005) showed improvements in attention and behavior in a group of juvenile offenders, and a study in a Boys Totem Town project with seven juvenile felons (Martin & Johnson, 2005) improvements were noted on a variety of measures. Most recently, Surmeli and Ertem (2009) presented a case series of 13 patients who received from 80 to 100 neurofeedback treatment sessions guided by QEEG findings. Outcomes were measured with the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, a test of attention, QEEG results, and interviews with family members.…”

A Review of qEEG-Guided Neurofeedback

“…This, then, results in different electrophysiological presentations being treated differently, even if the overarching diagnosis is the same. This clinical approach is supported through multiple reports in the literature discussing how training the deviant zscores towards the mean (i.e., normalize the qEEG) in qNF results in the greatest clinical benefit (Arns et al, 2012;Breteler, Arns, Peters, Giepmans, & Verhoeven, 2010;Collura, 2008;Sürmeli et al, 2012;Sürmeli & Ertem, 2009Walker, 2009Walker, , 2010Walker, , 2011Walker, , 2012a.…”

“…Therefore, in the example of excess beta frequencies, when the symptoms of anxiety and irritability are resolved after qNF, and the post qEEG shows the beta frequencies to be reduced (closer to the mean), it is assumed the improvement in symptoms is due to the change in the qEEG; thus representing improved electrocortical functioning (Arns et al, 2012;Walker, 2010). The term for this process, which has arisen secondary to qNF, is generally referred to as normalization of the qEEG, or simply normalization (Collura, 2008;Sürmeli & Ertem, 2009;Walker, 2010). Consequently, the concept of normalization is generally accepted to be when the z-scores of the qEEG move towards the mean (i.e., z = 0).…”

“…Sürmeli and colleagues reported on Down syndrome (Sürmeli & Ertem, 2007), personality disorders (Sürmeli & Ertem, 2009), intellectual disability (mental retardation; Sürmeli & Ertem, 2010), obsessive-compulsive disorder (Sürmeli & Ertem, 2011), schizophrenia (Sürmeli et al, 2012), and dementia (Sürmeli et al, 2015). Notable in this collection of work are conditions previously not known to respond to NF, such as personality disorders, intellectual disability, Down syndrome, and schizophrenia.…”