[
  {
    "id": "SITPZQ8R",
    "type": "article-journal",
    "abstract": "Collective research has identified a key electroencephalogram signature in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder, consisting of abnormally reduced alpha (8–12 Hz) rhythms. We conducted a 20-session, double-blind, randomized controlled trial of alpha desynchronizing neurofeedback in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder over 20 weeks. Our objective was to provide mechanistic evidence underlying potential clinical improvements by examining changes in aberrant post-traumatic stress disorder brain rhythms (namely, alpha oscillations) as a function of neurofeedback treatment. We randomly assigned participants with a primary diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (n = 38) to either an experimental group (n = 20) or a sham-control group (n = 18). A multichannel electroencephalogram cap was used to record whole-scalp resting-state activity pre- and post-neurofeedback treatment, for both the experimental and sham-control post-traumatic stress disorder groups. We first observed significantly reduced relative alpha source power at baseline in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder as compared to an age/sex-matched group of neurotypical healthy controls (n = 32), primarily within regions of the anterior default mode network. Post-treatment, we found that only post-traumatic stress disorder patients in the experimental neurofeedback group demonstrated significant alpha resynchronization within areas that displayed abnormally low alpha power at baseline. In parallel, we observed significantly decreased post-traumatic stress disorder severity scores in the experimental neurofeedback group only, when comparing baseline to post-treatment (Cohen’s d = 0.77) and three-month follow-up scores (Cohen’s d = 0.75), with a remission rate of 60.0% at the three-month follow-up. Overall, our results indicate that neurofeedback training can rescue pathologically reduced alpha rhythmicity, a functional biomarker that has repeatedly been linked to symptoms of hyperarousal and cortical disinhibition in post-traumatic stress disorder. This randomized controlled trial provides long-term evidence suggesting that the ‘alpha rebound effect’ (i.e. homeostatic alpha resynchronization) occurs within key regions of the default mode network previously implicated in post-traumatic stress disorder.",
    "container-title": "Brain Communications",
    "DOI": "10.1093/braincomms/fcad068",
    "ISSN": "2632-1297",
    "issue": "2",
    "journalAbbreviation": "Brain Communications",
    "page": "fcad068",
    "source": "Silverchair",
    "title": "Homeostatic normalization of alpha brain rhythms within the default-mode network and reduced symptoms in post-traumatic stress disorder following a randomized controlled trial of electroencephalogram neurofeedback",
    "URL": "https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcad068",
    "volume": "5",
    "author": [
      {
        "family": "Nicholson",
        "given": "Andrew A"
      },
      {
        "family": "Densmore",
        "given": "Maria"
      },
      {
        "family": "Frewen",
        "given": "Paul A"
      },
      {
        "family": "Neufeld",
        "given": "Richard W J"
      },
      {
        "family": "Théberge",
        "given": "Jean"
      },
      {
        "family": "Jetly",
        "given": "Rakesh"
      },
      {
        "family": "Lanius",
        "given": "Ruth A"
      },
      {
        "family": "Ros",
        "given": "Tomas"
      }
    ],
    "accessed": {
      "date-parts": [
        [
          "2024",
          11,
          22
        ]
      ]
    },
    "issued": {
      "date-parts": [
        [
          "2023",
          4,
          1
        ]
      ]
    }
  }
]