Neurofeedback is one of the safe, alternative therapies the BART Foundation believes may help brain injury survivors. The BART Foundation aims to promote better outcomes for TBI/ABI survivors by answering three questions – which alternative therapies are likely to work, where can they be found, and how can they be afforded? One of the ways we fulfill our mission is by carefully watching global research and clinical trial outcomes and sharing that information, in user-friendly language, with the TBI/ABI community.
EEG-based neurofeedback (EEG-NFB) is a technique in which, through brain-computer interfaces, patients are trained to regulate the amplitude of a specific frequency band and are rewarded for doing so. This technique has been successfully used in TBI and stroke to rehabilitate learning and memory, attention, and even as part of motor rehabilitation.
In this article from the Journal of Integrative Neuroscience, researchers used EEG-based neurofeedback in patients with traumatic brain injury and stroke to rehabilitate cognitive and motor sequelae. Clear benefits of EEG-based neurofeedback were found in divided and sustained attention and several aspects related to visuospatial skills and the processing speed of motor-dependent tasks, leading researchers to believe that EEG-based neurofeedback is probably an excellent complementary technique to be considered to enhance conventional neuropsychological rehabilitation. Visit the IMR Press website to read the full article.
We are not aware of any comprehensive listing of neurofeedback (NF) practitioners in the USA. What we have been able to find thus far are partial listings, compiled by different organizations, each with an interest in neurofeedback. There are no overarching requirements or certifications for practitioners – in many states, anyone can claim to be an NF worker, whether or not one has suitable training and credentials. Safest to do one’s own due diligence, including inquiring about what experience, if any, the therapist has with brain injuries. Good sources we at the BART Foundation have vetted include:
The EEG Education and Research
The Biofeedback Certification Institute of America
For LENS neurofeedback, the safest source is Ochs Labs
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