Why the study?
Biofeedback and neurofeedback are increasingly used in sports psychology, but their overall effectiveness for athletes' mental health, athletic performance, and cognitive performance remains unclear.
Does biofeedback and neurofeedback training improve mental health, athletic performance, and cognitive performance in athletes?
Does biofeedback and neurofeedback training improve mental health, athletic performance, and cognitive performance in athletes?
Biofeedback and neurofeedback training provide significant benefits for athletes' mental health, athletic performance, and cognitive performance.
Supports biofeedback/neurofeedback integration in athlete training; confirms benefits across mental health, performance, and cognition.
Background: Biofeedback and neurofeedback are increasingly used in sports psychology, yet their overall effectiveness for athletes' mental health, athletic performance, and cognitive performance remains unclear. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials across eight databases and performed Bayesian random-effects meta-analyses. Study selection used ASReview with the SAFE rule; full-text screening was done in Covidence; risk of bias followed Cochrane guidance; certainty of evidence was appraised with GRADE. Results: Forty-one studies met inclusion. Pooled effects were statistically significant across domains: mental health µ(SMD)=0.76 (95% CrI 0.44-1.09), athletic performance µ(SMD)=0.88 (0.69-1.05), and cognitive performance µ(SMD)=0.81 (0.48-1.14). Conclusion: Biofeedback and neurofeedback benefit athletes across mental, athletic, and cognitive outcomes. Given heterogeneity and sample sizes, further rigorous trials are warranted to refine the estimates. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO registration CRD420251015094.
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Zhang et al. (2025) studied this question.
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