A robust body of neurophysiologic research was reviewed on functional brain abnormalities associated with depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. A review of current research finds that pharmacologic treatment may not be as effective as previously believed. A more recent neuroscience technology, electroencephalographic (EEG) biofeedback (neurofeedback), seems to hold promise as a methodology for retraining abnormal brain wave patterns. It has been associated with minimal side effects and is less invasive than other methods for addressing biologic brain disorders. Literature was reviewed on the use of neurofeedback with anxiety disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, and with depression.
Results:
In evaluating the studies in the overall broad area of the neurofeedback treatment of anxiety disorders, EEG biofeedback qualifies for the evidence-based designation of being an efficacious treatment. When separate anxiety disorders are individually evaluated, the areas of phobic anxiety, generalized anxiety, and PTSD each qualify for designation as being a probably efficacious treatment.
About the Brain Performance Center:
The Brain Performance Center has locations at Oaks Christian School and Engage Therapy in Westlake Village as well as at Calabasas Pediatrics in Calabasas. It is one of the most technologically advanced neurofeedback facilities in the country. All neurofeedback protocols are guided by objective EEG brain imaging and not solely by subjective symptoms.
