Neurofeedback

Your mind will not slow down. Or your focus keeps slipping, and willpower has not fixed it.

What Neurofeedback Is

Neurofeedback, also called EEG biofeedback or neurotherapy, is a non-invasive form of brain training. Sensors on the scalp record your brainwave activity in real time, and the feedback works like a mirror: a film, a tone, or a visual display responds to what your brain is doing. When your brain produces a chosen target pattern, you get a positive signal. When it moves away, the signal dims. The idea behind it is operant conditioning: learning from feedback. Think of it as a workout for the brain, with repeated practice. The aim is that the brain gets better at producing the target pattern on its own.

It is not a diagnostic test. It does not read your thoughts, and nothing is sent into your brain. The sensors only record. It is a training method, and it is used next to a clinical assessment, not instead of one.

What Happens in a Session

• Sensors are placed on the scalp. It is the same non-invasive process as QEEG.
• Your brainwave activity appears in real time on the clinician’s screen.
• When your brain produces the target pattern, a film plays, a tone sounds, or a visual display responds. In an ADHD protocol, for example, the aim can be to reduce slow-wave activity.
• When your brain moves away from the target, the signal pauses or dims.
• You do not need to know how to change your brainwaves. You watch or listen, and the feedback guides the training.

A typical course is 20 to 40 sessions, 2 to 3 times a week. Each session lasts about 30 to 45 minutes. Early sessions focus on assessment and protocol design.

What It Can and Cannot Do

The evidence for neurofeedback is mixed, and it depends on the condition. For ADHD, the condition studied most, it is disputed. Reviews that rely on ratings from people who know treatment is being given, such as parents, find improvement. A large recent review of 38 trials, which used ratings from people who did not know who had received neurofeedback, found no clear reduction in core ADHD symptoms. Some national guidelines do not recommend neurofeedback for ADHD. For other conditions the research is smaller. Some people improve and some notice little, and studies have not settled how much of any benefit comes from the feedback itself.

Neurofeedback is not a cure, and it is not a first-line treatment for the conditions below. It does not replace a clinical assessment, and it does not replace treatment you have been prescribed. It is one option, and a clinician can explain what is known for your situation.

Who It May Help

Your clinician decides whether neurofeedback suits you. “May help” does not mean it will work for you. There is more research on some conditions than others:

Safety and What to Expect

Neurofeedback is non-invasive. Nothing is injected, swallowed, or sent into the brain. Side effects are usually mild. Some people feel tired after a session, particularly early in a course, and some get a headache. Tell your clinician if you feel worse during a course.

Before you start, tell your clinician about your medical history, including any seizures or head injury, and about the medication you take. Do not stop or change prescribed medication on your own because you have started neurofeedback.

Where It Fits With Assessment and Treatment

At Top Medical Care, a QEEG brain map typically comes before a neurofeedback programme. This lets the protocol be designed around your individual pattern. The brain map is extra information next to a clinical assessment. It does not diagnose a condition.

Neurofeedback can sit alongside other care, such as psychiatric assessment and treatment and psychological therapy. It is different from tDCS and TMS, which deliver stimulation to the brain. Neurofeedback does not.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between QEEG and neurofeedback?
QEEG records and maps your brain activity. It is an assessment. Neurofeedback uses your live brain activity to train, over many sessions. At Top Medical Care the QEEG typically comes first.

Does neurofeedback send electricity into the brain?
No. The sensors sit on the scalp and only record the brain’s own activity. Nothing is sent in.

How many sessions will I need?
A typical course is 20 to 40 sessions, 2 to 3 times a week, each about 30 to 45 minutes. Your clinician will explain the plan for you.

How soon will I notice a change?
Usually not after a single session. Any change tends to build gradually over a course, and some people notice little.

Does neurofeedback work?
Some people report feeling better and others notice little. Studies have not settled whether the feedback itself is the reason. The research is mixed and differs by condition, as set out under Who It May Help. For ADHD, the best-controlled reviews have not found a clear benefit. No one can promise a result.

Can neurofeedback replace my medication?
No. Neurofeedback is not a substitute for prescribed medication. Do not stop or change your medication yourself. If you want to review your medication, or ask whether neurofeedback could be used alongside it, talk to the clinician who prescribes it.

Can children have neurofeedback?
Yes. Top Medical Care offers it to children and adults. The training itself does not use medication. A clinician assesses your child first and decides whether it suits them.

Does a session break my fast?
Sessions do not interrupt a fast. They are non-invasive: sensors on the scalp, with nothing swallowed or injected.

Sources: NIMH (nimh.nih.gov), NHS (nhs.uk), Mayo Clinic (mayoclinic.org)