neurofeedback and quantitative EEGs

[schwartzie]

Has anyone here had experience or know anyone who has used neurofeedback to treat a mood or behavioral disorder. If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts on efficacy, whether the treated symptoms ever recurred, or any other opinions on the treatment.

[xtremegeek]

I suggest contacting some drug companies. Many of them use neurofeedback when researching drugs to treat various mental illnesses. Eli Lilly - Prozac. GlaxoSmithKline - Wellbutrin. Pzifer - zoloft.

[schwartzie]

I suggest contacting some drug companies. Many of them use neurofeedback when researching drugs to treat various mental illnesses. Eli Lilly - Prozac. GlaxoSmithKline - Wellbutrin. Pzifer - zoloft.

As I understand, the quantitative EEG is a diagnostic tool--to assess brain activity. Neurofeedback is a therapy that involves retraining one's brain to function without depression, adhd, or the other condition being treated-- I've seen it called "biofeedback for the brain."

When you say the drug companies use neurofeedback, do you mean they monitor patients taking some drug by running qEEGs on the person, to test the efficacy of the drug? Or do you mean something else?

[xtremegeek]

Yes. Once the FDA approves the drug for clinical trials on humans, drug companies will use neurofeedback before, during, and after drug therapy. This data gathering during human trial studies can be used in the process to gain the final approval from the FDA.

[schwartzie]

Yes. Once the FDA approves the drug for clinical trials on humans, drug companies will use neurofeedback before, during, and after drug therapy. This data gathering during human trial studies can be used in the process to gain the final approval from the FDA.

Sorry xtre- I'm not sure we are using the term to mean the same thing. You are saying that drug researchers run "qEEGs" on the participants, and map their brain activity before, during and after the trial, correct?

They are not actually engaging in neurofeedback training on participants during drug trials, correct? (That would be odd-- if neurofeedback training were an effective form of therapy, its use during a drug trial would distort results of the trial.)

I am really interested in the issue of the effectiveness of the training therapy, as opposed to learning about qEEGs and the mapping of brain waves. When I've seen the training therapy used, it was employed to treat depression and OCD, and was an side-effect-free alternative to long-term drug use. Are you familiar with the training?

[Bioplasmoid]

Diagnosis - yes, Treatment sadly no. I once had an eeg done, by a specialist to try and find the source of tinnitus that was sometimes so extreme, as to cause me difficulty concentrating in my early 20s. All I ended up with was a huge printout of my brainwaves on a stack of paper, and the diagnosis that my brainwaves were supposedly normal. As for white noise masking, id rather find the cause than distract myself from it.

I learned to live with it, and decided it was best to avoid dancing too close to subwoofer bins at nightclubs. ;) Those days are over now, cant stand clubs and bars anymore... The strange thing is I could swear my hearing is actually better now than when younger. *removes tinfoil hat* :p