Clinical Application of Neurofeedback : Experience in Our Clinic

Abstract

  The history of neurofeedback goes back to the 1960s. Although it has made remarkable progress overseas, it is very rarely used as a medical treatment in Japan. Neurofeedback generally refers to biofeedback using electroencephalograms. In a broad sense, it is biofeedback of various brain activities (DC potentials and cerebral blood flow). Although recent advances in computer technology and equipment have enabled highly complex feedback, EEG feedback using 1-2 electrodes is common. Unlike normal biofeedback, this technology feeds information from the brain back to the brain function itself, not to consciousness. It allows the brain to learn certain response patterns autonomously. The goal is to cause functional expansion of the brain by feeding back information that the person cannot recognize. Since 2007, our hospital has applied neurofeedback as a psychosomatic treatment to various pathological conditions. The progress of neurofeedback has been remarkable, and personal experience does not provide a full picture. Based on my experience, I introduce the effects, limitations and future prospects of neurofeedback.