The Effect of EEG Neurofeedback Training in a Clinical Sample of Patients with Fibromyalgia
By Earl Franklin Winter, PhD.
Scope of Study: This study evaluated EEG neurofeedback training (neurotherapy) as a possible treatment option for patients with fibromyalgia. The neurotherapy treatment protocol consisted of a sensing electrode placed on the midline of the head of the patient, directly over the sensory motor cortex. The training protocol required the patient to inhibit theta waves, augment SMR waves, and inhibit high beta waves in order for the patient to be rewarded. In addition, TOVA tests of variables of attention were administered to the patients after completion of every 10 sessions of neurotherapy.
Purpose of these tests was to determine if they could be used to track treatment progress.
Data was obtained from 15 fibromyalgia patients who received a minimum of 40 sessions of neurotherapy. The average number of sessions for the group was 58, with a range of 40-98 sessions. This treatment protocol was attempted only after other medical treatment protocols had failed to relieve patient symptoms.
Data from these 15 patients was compared to another group of 63 fibromyalgia patients who had not received EEG neurofeedback training. For that comparison group, symptoms changed very little: global pain decreased 6%, fatigue decreased 5%, anxiety increased 4%, and depression increased 3%.
Findings and Conclusions: This neurotherapy protocol appears to offer a significant improvement for patients with fibromyalgia: 93% felt improved, there was a 74% average reduction in tender point pain, a 39% average reduction in global pain, and a 40% average reduction in fatigue in amounts that were statistically significant. Also, there was a reduction in stiffness and mood/depression scores, but the amount was not statistically significant. In addition, the TOVA� tests did not give results that were reliable as monitors of neurotherapy treatment progress.
Individuals differ in the range of negative moods and emotions that they experience. Over time, some people experience negative mood states more consistently and more severely than others. The purpose of Zald's study was to identify a relationship between negative moods and activity in a specific area of the brain.
