EEG-Neurofeedback as a Potential Therapeutic Approach for Cognitive Deficits in Patients with Dementia, Multiple Sclerosis, Stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury

Q: What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Systematic Review. Population: Cognitive deficits in dementia, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), multiple sclerosis (MS), stroke, and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Intervention: EEG-Neurofeedback (EEG-NFB) vs. Pre-intervention baseline, sham/false neurofeedback, conventional rehabilitation, or healthy controls. Primary outcome: Cognitive function and memory rehabilitation assessed by neuropsychological tests before and after training.

Q: What does this research mean for the field?

EEG-neurofeedback improves performance in at least one cognitive domain in patients with dementia, multiple sclerosis, stroke, or traumatic brain injury, regardless of the specific protocol or number of sessions applied. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.SYNTHESIS. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

Irini Vilou; Aikaterini Varka; Dimitrios Parisis; Theodora Afrantou; Panagiotis Ioannidis

doi:10.3390/life13020365

January 29, 2023LifeOpen Access

EEG-Neurofeedback as a Potential Therapeutic Approach for Cognitive Deficits in Patients with Dementia, Multiple Sclerosis, Stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury

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Key result

EEG-neurofeedback improves cognitive performance across neurological conditions, showing benefits in 17 of 18 reviewed studies.

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Why the study?

Memory loss affects functionality and quality of life in neurological disorders, and non-invasive brain training methods such as EEG neurofeedback are used to address cognitive deficits.

Does EEG-neurofeedback improve cognitive deficits and memory rehabilitation in patients with dementia, multiple sclerosis, stroke, and traumatic brain injury?

Key Points

To review the therapeutic efficacy and protocol variations of EEG neurofeedback for mitigating cognitive and memory deficits in patients with dementia, multiple sclerosis, stroke, and traumatic brain injury.
Literature review summarizing published findings on EEG neurofeedback interventions across dementia, multiple sclerosis, ischemic stroke, and traumatic brain injury.
Assessed protocols targeting diverse frequency bands (including sensorimotor rhythm of 12–15 Hz, individual upper alpha zones, and theta/beta ratios) across both clinical settings and home-based training systems.
Most reviewed studies documented improvements in at least one cognitive domain following EEG neurofeedback, independent of the specific protocol, session frequency, or total session count applied.
Follow-up evaluations revealed that memory gains persisted at 30 days post-intervention in some cohorts, though Mini-Mental State Examination scores returned to baseline in one study.
No adverse side effects were reported across the analyzed literature, although existing research is limited by small cohorts, reliance on case reports, and inconsistent protocol reporting.

Study Design

Type

Systematic Review

Structured PICO

Does EEG-neurofeedback improve cognitive deficits and memory rehabilitation in patients with dementia, multiple sclerosis, stroke, and traumatic brain injury?

P

Population

18 studies (including scientific papers and case reports published 2010–2022) evaluating patients with cognitive deficits due to dementia/MCI (8 studies), multiple sclerosis (2 studies), stroke (5 studies), or traumatic brain injury (3 studies).

I

Intervention

EEG-Neurofeedback (EEG-NFB) training using various protocols (including sensorimotor rhythm [SMR] 12-15 Hz, EEG-theta/beta ratio, upper alpha, alpha asymmetry, slow cortical potentials, and coherence training) delivered across 5 to 96 sessions via clinical EEG or wearable/tele-rehabilitation devices.

C

Comparator

Pre-training baseline cognitive performance, false/sham neurofeedback (random electrode feedback), conventional cognitive rehabilitation, or healthy control groups (varied across included studies).

O

Outcome

Change in cognitive function (including memory, attention, executive function, visual perception, and information processing speed) measured by pre- and post-intervention neuropsychological assessments (e.g., CAMCOG, MMSE, MoCA, WAIS-IV, NeuroTrax, BRB-N, SDMT, MVPT, CVLT, WMS-IV).surrogate

This literature review suggests that EEG-neurofeedback is a promising non-invasive therapeutic option for improving cognitive deficits across dementia, MS, stroke, and TBI, though larger, standardized trials with long-term follow-up are needed.

Limitations

Significant information such as analytical protocol details, demographics, pre- and post-assessment evaluations, and long-lasting effects were often not reported
Many included studies were case reports and the number of participants was small
Lack of standardized specific protocols, unclear neurofeedback targets, and scarcity of follow-up studies
Lack of testing mobile approaches and combination of EEG-NFB with other methods
Missing analytical information in primary studies regarding protocols, demographics, pre- and post-assessment evaluations, and long-lasting effects
Many included studies were case reports and had small sample sizes
Lack of specific standardized protocols and unclear neurofeedback targets
Lack of follow-up studies to assess long-term effects
Lack of testing mobile approaches and combinations of EEG-NFB with other therapeutic methods

Implication

May support adjunctive EEG-neurofeedback for cognitive rehabilitation in these populations; extends preliminary evidence but requires larger standardized RCTs.

Abstract

Memory deficits are common in patients with dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease, but also in patients with other neurological and psychiatric disorders, such as brain injury, multiple sclerosis, ischemic stroke and schizophrenia. Memory loss affects patients' functionality and, by extension, their quality of life. Non-invasive brain training methods, such as EEG neurofeedback, are used to address cognitive deficits and behavioral changes in dementia and other neurological disorders by training patients to alter their brain activity via operant activity. In this review paper, we analyze various protocols of EEG neurofeedback in memory rehabilitation in patients with dementia, multiple sclerosis, strokes and traumatic brain injury. The results from the studies show the effectiveness of the ΕΕG-NFB method in improving at least one cognitive domain, regardless of the number of sessions or the type of protocol applied. In future research, it is important to address methodological weaknesses in the application of the method, its long-term effects as well as ethical issues.

Discussion

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Cite This Study

Vilou et al. (2023) conducted a systematic review in Cognitive deficits in dementia, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), multiple sclerosis (MS), stroke, and traumatic brain injury (TBI). EEG-Neurofeedback (EEG-NFB) vs. Pre-intervention baseline, sham/false neurofeedback, conventional rehabilitation, or healthy controls was evaluated on Cognitive function and memory rehabilitation assessed by neuropsychological tests before and after training. EEG-neurofeedback improved performance in at least one cognitive domain across 17 of 18 reviewed studies in patients with dementia, MS, stroke, or TBI, regardless of protocol or session count.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a78e0819fd4195bcd5ace11 https://doi.org/10.3390/life13020365

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EEG-Neurofeedback as a Potential Therapeutic Approach for Cognitive Deficits in Patients with Dementia, Multiple Sclerosis, Stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury

Figures

Key Points

Study Design

Structured PICO

Limitations

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

EEG-Neurofeedback as a Potential Therapeutic Approach for Cognitive Deficits in Patients with Dementia, Multiple Sclerosis, Stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury

Figures

Key Points

Study Design

Structured PICO

Limitations

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

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