seizure activity
Research Papers
The Efficacy of Neurofeedback for Pediatric Epilepsy
Approximately 470,000 children (birth to 18 years old) are afected by Epilepsy (CDC in Epilepsy. https://www.cdc.gov/epile psy/index.html, 2018). Since the initial fndings in the 1970s, Sensorimotor Rhythm (SMR) has been continuously utilized for the treatment of seizures. Studies have consistently demonstrated that SMR reduces the frequency and severity of seizure activity. Although a mix of pediatric cases, adolescents and adults have been sampled in previous studies, no age efects have been reported. There continues to be a lack of research in the area of neurofeedback for the treatment of epilepsy in the pediatric population. To date, no randomized control trial specifc to pediatric epilepsy has been published. The existing research regarding the use of neurofeedback in the treatment of epilepsy provides strong evidence that neurofeedback training might be an efective treatment for pediatric epilepsy. However, existing studies are not specifc to the pediatric population. Moreover, there is a lack of rigor in the studies in which the efects of neurofeedback in children and adolescents with epilepsy are documented. Therefore, based on the current literature, there is not enough evidence to state that neurofeedback is efcacious for the treatment of pediatric epilepsy. However, the APBB criteria for evidence-based practices indicate that neurofeedback for pediatric epilepsy is Possibly Efcacious (Level 2). Future research in which a randomized controlled trial approach is utilized will greatly help to increase support for the use of neurofeedback as an efcacious treatment for epilepsy.
View Full Paper →Slow cortical potential biofeedback and the startle reflex
The negativity of slow cortical potentials (SCP) of the surface EEG is a measure of brain excitability, correlating with motor and cognitive preparation. Self-control of SCP positivity has been shown to reduce seizure activity. Following SCP biofeedback from a central EEG electrode position, subjects gained bidirectional control over their SCP. The current study used a modified feedback methodology, and found a positive relationship between negativity and magnitude of EMG startle response (a measure of cortical and subcortical arousal, particularly aversive response disposition). Greater success in SCP differentiation was associated with self-report of less relaxation during negativity training.
View Full Paper →A double-blind investigation of the relationship between seizure activity and the sleep EEG following EEG biofeedback training
The sleep EEGs of eight medically refractory epileptic patients were examined as part of a double-blind, ABA crossover study designed to determine the effectiveness of EEG biofeedback for the control of seizures. The patients were initially reinforced for one of three EEG criteria recorded from electrodes placed over sensorimotor cortex: (a) suppression of 3- to 7-Hz activity, (b) enhancement of 12- to 15-Hz activity, or (c) simultaneous suppression of 3- to 7-Hz and enhancement of 11- to 19-Hz activity. Reinforcement contingencies were reversed during the second or B phase, and then reinstated in their original form during the final A′ phase. All-night polysomnographic recordings were obtained at the end of each conditioning phase and were subjected to both visual and computer-based power spectral analyses. Four of the patients showed changes in their nocturnal paroxysmal activity that were either partially or totally consistent with the ABA′ contingencies of the study. The spectral data proved difficult to interpret, though two trends emerged from the analyses. Decreases in nocturnal 4- to 7-Hz activity were correlated with decreases in seizure activity, and increases in 8- to 11-Hz activity were correlated with decreases in seizure activity. These findings were shown to strengthen the hypothesis that EEG biofeedback may produce changes in the sleep EEG that are related to seizure incidence.
View Full Paper →Sensorimotor rhythm feedback training and epilepsy: Some methodological and conceptual issues
This study examined the hypothesis that the enhancement of a 12–16 Hz sensorimotor rhythm in the EEG is inhibitory to epileptic seizure activity. The effects of training to enhance 12–16 Hz central EEG, to enhance 8–10 Hz central EEG, to suppress high voltage EEG activity, and of random feedback were compared over a period of 12 months in three adult patients suffering from chronic, drug-refractory epilepsy. All three patients experienced a significant reduction in seizure rate by the end of the study, but this was not related to any one particular training condition. It is suggested that the therapeutic mechanism might involve placebo effects, relaxation training, or a facilitation of EEG desynchronization, the effect being idiosyncratic to the individual patient.
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