Award for the Best Neurofeedback Publlication

At regular intervals, the Foundation for Neurofeedback and Applied Neuroscience presents an award – which includes an honorarium of one thousand dollars – to the authors of the publication that, in its consideration, has significantly contributed to the field of neurofeedback.  Here is the most recent award.  (A link to previous awards can be found at the bottom of the webpage.)

Each year, the Foundation for Neurofeedback and Applied Neuroscience presents an award to the authors of the publication that, in its consideration, has most significantly advanced the field of neurofeedback during the preceding year. In the selection process, we survey peer-reviewed research of the previous year with particular interest in publications making a unique contribution to the understanding and practice of neurofeedback. Our emphasis is on well-designed and implemented investigations with a sufficient number of participants to draw meaningful conclusions. We focus primarily on clinical applications of EEG neurofeedback.

The study chosen for 2021 award was "Effects of Neurofeedback on Fibromyalgia: A Randomized Controlled Trial," by Wu Yu-Lin, PhD, Fang Su-Chen, PhD, Chen Shih-Ching, MD, PhD, Tai Chen-Jei Tai, MD, PhD, and Tsai Pei-Shan, PhD. The research was conducted in Taiwan and published in the December 1, 2021, issue of Pain Management Nursing.

Neurofeedback – also known as neurotherapy or electroencephalographic (EEG) biofeedback – is a noninvasive technology that allows individuals to change cognitive functioning, affective state or overall performance by learning voluntarily changes in brain activity. The process trains individuals to vary patterns of brain activity based on information from sensors placed on the scalp.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic widespread pain condition that can also be associated with sleep disturbance, cognitive impairment and overall fatigue.  In this study, a sample group of 80 individuals suffering from fibromyalgia, was randomly assigned into a treatment group of 60 individuals who received alpha and sensorimotor neurofeedback training over a period of eight weeks and a control group of 20 individuals who received weekly telephone support focusing on their knowledge of the disease, symptoms and concerns. Compared to the control group, those receiving the neurofeedback training regimen showed significant improvement in the severity of their pain, as well as improvement in sleep latency and sustained attention.

The search for this year’s winner began with a review of 287 publications identified from a keyword scan of the PubMed® database. A first screening narrowed the field to 71 studies presenting original empirical research and using EEG neurofeedback methods. A further screening focused on identifying high quality research designs that studied clinical outcomes.

We were pleased to discover that an increased number of articles in 2021 made use of randomized control trials. This methodology is often considered the "gold standard" of experimental design; and these studies comprised the final set of publications reviewed for the award. A wide range of topics were addressed, including pain management, ADHD, PTSD, binge-eating, mild cognitive impairment, and fibromyalgia. The studies originated from a worldwide community of researchers, reflecting a growing global research interest in the mechanisms and applications of neurofeedback.

For further information, please refer to the original research article: Wu Yu-Lin, Fang Su-Chen, Chen Shih-Ching, Tai Chen-Jei Tai, and Tsai Pei-Shan, "Effects of Neurofeedback on Fibromyalgia: A Randomized Controlled Trial," Pain Management Nursing, Volume 22, Issue 6, December 2021, Pages 755-763.

The Foundation for Neurofeedback and Applied Neuroscience (FNAN) is a nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation, based in California, dedicated to encouraging research into the mechanisms underlying neurofeedback and its clinical applications. It seeks to foster meaningful scientific research by providing technical assistance and other support to individuals seeking to extend the horizons of the field. FNAN awards its prize for the best neurofeedback article on an annual basis.

For further information, contact: H. John Fisher, (413) 535-5999 or hjohnfshr@aol.com or The Foundation for Neurofeedback and Applied Neuroscience, c/o Goldstein, 6654 Nevada Avenue, Woodland Hills, CA 91303, (800) 898-7458, www.neurofeedbackfoundation.org.