Posted by dj on November 14, 2000, at 20:26:29
In reply to Neurofeedback and depression??, posted by dj on November 14, 2000, at 19:40:10
References to depression and dealng with in several of the articles on the pre-noted TOC (table of contents page) however difficut to read. The following looked the most readable, interesting and helpful but does not seem to be all there (like me ; ) ) Anybody know anything about this stuff or have ANY experience with or knowledge of other sources of reliable studies???
http://www.snr-jnt.org/JournalNT/JNT(1-2)2.html"Andrew Abarbanel, Ph.D., M.D.
This paper presents a set of electrophysiological and neurophysiological processes as bases for the efficacy of neurofeedback training (NT) for attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and schizophrenia. It then suggests neurophysiological commonalties between these disorders to explain the observed efficacy of NT for depression and OCD and to suggest the possibility of adapting it to treat schizophrenia.
I. Introduction
The treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a challenging endeavor for both clinicians and researchers. ADHD is one of the most puzzling and pervasive disorders of childhood, and, unfortunately, frequently persists into adulthood. Estimates are that ADHD affects between 5 and 15% of the population (Rie & Rie, 1980). As defined in DSM IV, it is characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness, though it can present with or without hyperactivity (APA, 1994). Attentional disorders impose a great burden on the individual, strongly disrupt family functioning, and drain an enormous amount of talent and energy from society Their effects discourage and demoralize a significant percentage of its sufferers, too often leading them away from productive activity and into antisocial lifestyles, drug abuse, and crime. Advances in the understanding and treatment of these disorders, therefore, are likely to produce significant gains for all of society. Fortunately, pharmacological treatment, primarily with stimulants and tricyclic antidepressants, has been found effective in the treatment of ADHD (Barkley, 1990). Recently, neurofeedback has also begun to look effective for treating attentional disorders; of major clinical importance is the fact that it appears that its results persist well after treatment. Unfortunately, the medication and neurofeedback treatments are sometimes considered mutually exclusive; cooperation between the proponents of the two treatment modalities has not flourished.
Motivated by these circumstances, this paper explores the physiological phenomena that underlie neurofeedback treatment of ADHD. Because more is known about neurofeedback work with ADHD than with other conditions, the emphasis in this paper will be on ADHD; other conditions are discussed in the context of conclusions drawn about ADHD. No distinction is made here between ADD and ADHD. Emphasis will be on commonalities in the neurophysiological mechanisms subserving the two treatment approaches -commonalities somewhat underemphasized both in practice and in the literature. It will emerge from this approach that the existence and efficacy of the different treatments can be used, not to force a choice between them, but rather to suggest useful avenues for understanding the neurophysiological aspects of a range of psychiatric disorders and of the mechanisms underlying their successful treatment. Ideally, this understanding can suggest, for example, how the two modalities can be optimally combined. A number of neural mechanisms will be suggested for the finding of long-term efficacy of neurofeedback for ADHD. Since the mechanisms generating field potentials, however, are themselves still incompletely understood, any discussion of procedures utilizing them must involve a degree of uncertainty, especially in the anatomical and physiological details involved. Nonetheless, the utility of such suggestions can transcend the uncertainties of their details by stimulating research to explicate these details, as well as to unravel other aspects of brain function and dysfunction. This paper presents a synthesis of observations to date with the aim of enhancing understanding of brain function in both normal and pathological functioning. It will be suggested throughout that for ADHD, operant conditioning by neurofeedback rests on the same well-established neurophysiological principles that mediate the effects of psychotropic medication. Generalization to other psychiatric conditions will follow in Section IV..."
Unfortunately Section IV does not appear to be there, on this site at least...
? ) dj
poster:dj
thread:2696
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20001031/msgs/2701.html