Аннотация:Objective: Recent advances in neuroscience gave rise to the therapeutic use of neuromodulation. However, the reasonable place for such biomedical techniques in holistic rehabilitation programs remains unknown. Qualitative analysis of the empirical use of neurofeedback in interdisciplinary neurorehabilitation may serve as a first step towards theoretically and evidence-based use.
Participants and Methods: 21 patient undergoing interdisciplinary rehabilitation for TBI, stroke, neurodegenerative disorders, chronic pain received 15 to 20 sessions of infra-low frequency neurofeedback according to Othmer method. For each patient case coordinator was asked to rate the assumed influence of neurofeedback on symptoms by the scale: 0 – no effects, 1 – moderate effects, 2 – intermediate effects, 3 – strong effects.
Results: Intermediate to strong improvements attributed to neurofeedback were seen in neurodynamic functions (attention, mental speed, fatigability), emotional regulation (anxiety, emotional reactivity, mood), sleep quality, body pain, muscle tension, headache, drowsiness and tinnitus, confabulations. Visuospatial gnosis, working memory, planning, initiation seemed to be moderately influenced. Hemiparesis, dystonic movements, aphasia and swallowing problems were unlikely to respond. Positive shifts in state after neurofeedback were only transient when the team failed to grew up patients motivation to changes.
On the base of previous studies, we suggest that neurofeedback affects brain networks. While other rehabilitation components relate mostly on behavioral compensatory strategies, neurofeedback may promote a sort of compensation on the level of inter-brain interactions. That may explain why it seems to be more effective for functions with distributed localization.
Conclusions: Neurofeedback can improve important abilities that are needed to get through holistic rehabilitation program.