Neurofeedback Therapy for Sensory Over-Responsiveness—A Feasibility Study

Ruba Hamed, Limor Mizrachi, Yelena Granovsky, Gil Issachar, Shlomit Yuval-Greenberg, Tami Bar-Shalita

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Background: Difficulty in modulating multisensory input, specifically the sensory over-responsive (SOR) type, is linked to pain hypersensitivity and anxiety, impacting daily function and quality of life in children and adults. Reduced cortical activity recorded under resting state has been reported, suggestive of neuromodulation as a potential therapeutic modality. This feasibility study aimed to explore neurofeedback intervention in SOR. Methods: Healthy women with SOR (n = 10) underwent an experimental feasibility study comprising four measurement time points (T1—base-line; T2—preintervention; T3—postintervention; T4—follow-up). Outcome measures included rest-ing-state EEG recording, in addition to behavioral assessments of life satisfaction, attaining functional goals, pain sensitivity, and anxiety. Intervention targeted the upregulation of alpha oscilla-tory power over ten sessions. Results: No changes were detected in all measures between T1 and T2. Exploring the changes in brain activity between T2 and T4 revealed power enhancement in delta, theta, beta, and gamma oscillatory bands, detected in the frontal region (p = 0.03–<0.001; Cohen’s d = 0.637–1.126) but not in alpha oscillations. Furthermore, a large effect was found in enhancing life satisfaction and goal attainment (Cohen’s d = 1.18; 1.04, respectively), and reduced pain sensitivity and anxiety trait (Cohen’s d = 0.70). Conclusion: This is the first study demonstrating the feasibility of neurofeedback intervention in SOR.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1845
JournalSensors
Volume22
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Mar 2022

Keywords

  • Adult
  • Anxiety Disorders
  • Child
  • Feasibility Studies
  • Female
  • Frontal Lobe
  • Goal attainment
  • Humans
  • Life satisfaction
  • Neurofeed-back
  • Neurofeedback/physiology
  • Neuromodulation
  • Pain sensitivity
  • Quality of Life
  • Sensory modulation dysfunction
  • Sensory processing
  • neurofeedback

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Information Systems
  • Instrumentation
  • Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering
  • Biochemistry

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