Neurofeedback: A Powerful Tool
As you might imagine, it can be difficult for twelve scientists to agree on something. Therefore, when statements on neurofeedback are published in one paper by twelve researchers from around the world, those statements gain significant credibility. Even more, when those scientists are also affiliated with trusted institutions, their collective conclusions carry greater authority. So, let us look at the conclusions printed in the article “Closed-loop brain training: the science of neurofeedback”.
The Neurofeedback Research Group
Published in Nature Reviews Neuroscience in February of 2017, the article was researched and written by investigators from the following countries:
- Chile (2 researchers in Santiago)
- Germany (The Department of Neurophysics at the Max Planck Institute)
- Switzerland (5 researchers working in both Zurich and Geneva institutions)
- United Kingdom (The Institute of Neurology at University College London)
- United States (3 researchers, including one at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, and 2 with the University of Texas at Austin)
Their disciplines included psychology; neuroimaging; biological, medical, and mechanical engineering; neurophysics; and psychiatry. As a team, they looked at the science of neurofeedback from multiple perspectives. One of their most important conclusions was this:
Neurofeedback provides the possibility of endogenously manipulating brain activity as an independent variable, making it a powerful neuroscientific tool.
By stating that neurofeedback works endogenously, the researchers were pointing to the fact that the patient is the source of the changes in brain activity via their response to neurofeedback protocols. This highlights one of the prime benefits of neurofeedback — the possibility to lessen or eliminate the need for prescription drugs to treat disorders related to mental health and our sense of perception. Instead of using an outside source to change brain activity, neurofeedback uses the inside source — the client’s own ability to mold brain behaviors and structure due to neuroplasticity.
Additional Conclusions on Neurofeedback
Some other important key points presented by this international research team included:
- “Neurofeedback training results in specific neural changes relevant to the trained brain circuit and the associated behavioural changes. These changes have been shown to last anywhere from hours to months after training and to correlate with changes in grey and white matter structure.”
- Evidence suggests that a variety of brain areas are responsible for the mental health improvements that result from neurofeedback.
- The scientists also acknowledged the following: “Psychological factors, such as the differential influence of feedback, reward and experimental instructions, and other factors, such as sense of agency and locus of control” may all be involved in the effects realized through neurofeedback training.
- Finally, in their abstract the authors clearly stated regarding neurofeedback: “Learning control over specific neural substrates has been shown to change specific behaviours.”
At the Brain Health Clinic in Sacramento, our therapists regularly help our clients experience the positive results described by these international researchers. If you would like to experience neurofeedback as a “powerful neuroscientific tool,” contact our clinic by phone or online to arrange a free consultation. Discover how neurofeedback can help you change “specific behaviors” to make life brilliant!