About this Research Topic
Neurofeedback and Alpha Brain Entrainment are non-invasive therapeutic techniques that aim to regulate and optimize brain function through real-time monitoring and entrainment of brainwave activity. These interventions have shown potential benefits in treating psychosomatic disorders by improving self-regulation of brain function and increasing neuroplasticity—i.e., the brain's ability to develop new neural pathways and enhance its flexibility.
While the research on neurofeedback for psychosomatic disorders is evolving, it is important to understand the underlying neurocognitive mechanisms through which these interventions exert their effects. Specifically, the Research Topic aims to explore how Neurofeedback and Alpha Brain Entrainment influence cognitive, emotional, and psychophysiological processes such as attentional control, executive functions, working and episodic memory, mood, mental imagery ability, motor system excitability, and auditory evoked potentials. Moreover, there is evidence that alpha brain entrainment and neurofeedback can positively affect individuals’ overall mental health and health indicators (e.g., sleep quality). These different positive benefits are underpinned by one primary mechanism: the ‘entrainment’ of the brain to increasingly produce certain types of brainwaves selectively. Entrainment is the phenomenon by which when an oscillating system becomes synchronized to an external periodic force. Cortical electrical oscillations, or “brainwaves”, demonstrate this phenomenon in response to rhythmic stimuli, which can be sensory or direct electric or magnetic stimulation. Alpha entrainment refers to the modulation of cortical activity in the alpha band (8–12 Hz). Similarly, neurofeedback can be used to enhance alpha activity, but it is often considered a more ‘advanced’ practice than alpha entrainment as it uses real-time EEG sensors to record the client's brain waves and sends data to a computer, which analyses the data and provides feedback on the individuals’ brain waves. In turn, this allows individuals to have better control over their brain activation and alpha states in real-time.
There is increasing interest in the application of alpha brain entrainment and neurofeedback in the field of Functional Neurological Disorders (FND), an umbrella term that comprises neurological conditions that appear to be caused by issues in the nervous system but cannot be linked to any neurological disease or disorder. Health professionals sometimes call these disorders ‘medically unexplained’, psychosomatic or somatization. Their symptoms are genuine and often impairing but cannot be physiologically explained. They may include seizure-like episodes, movement problems, dizziness, pain (including chronic migraine), extreme slowness and fatigue, and many other clinical manifestations. As these symptoms usually have a remarkable negative impact on individuals’ lives, it is common for people with FND also to experience mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. Considering this, neurofeedback and alpha brain entrainment hold promise as non-invasive therapeutic approaches for individuals with FND. Neurofeedback, a technique that teaches individuals to regulate their brainwave activity, helps individuals with FND gain better control over dysfunctional brain patterns that may underlie their symptoms. In neurofeedback sessions, real-time monitoring of brainwaves allows patients to modulate their brain activity consciously, fostering a sense of control over their symptoms. This empowerment can reduce symptom severity, as FND is often linked to disruptions in the brain's self-regulation mechanisms. Alpha brainwave entrainment can enhance alpha waves, associated with relaxation and calm, and individuals with FND usually exhibit heightened levels of stress, anxiety, and arousal, which can exacerbate their symptoms. By promoting a more relaxed brain state, alpha entrainment may reduce the excessive neural excitability and emotional dysregulation often seen in FND patients. This reduction in arousal and improvement in emotional regulation may alleviate symptoms such as non-epileptic seizures or functional movement disorders. Both neurofeedback and alpha entrainment target the maladaptive brain patterns that can perpetuate FND symptoms, offering a mind-body approach that complements traditional therapies. By fostering greater self-regulation of brain activity, these techniques may improve patients’ quality of life, reduce symptom frequency, and promote long-term neurological stability without reliance on medication. Additionally, alpha brain entrainment and neurofeedback can have positive effects on behavioral outcomes, such as reductions in avoidance behaviors, improved coping strategies, and enhanced emotional regulation, which can, in turn, help reduce the tendency to display impulsive behavior.
Neurofeedback and Alpha Brain Entrainment offer enhanced treatment options and improved care due to their non-invasive nature and potential for use as complementary therapy alongside conventional treatments like psychotherapy or medication. More specifically, they have the potential to be effectively incorporated into Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to create a comprehensive treatment approach for individuals with FND. CBT, a well-established therapy for FND, focuses on identifying and modifying maladaptive thoughts, behaviors, and emotional responses that contribute to the disorder. By integrating neurofeedback and alpha brain entrainment, patients can learn to regulate their brainwave activity alongside the cognitive restructuring processes central to CBT. Furthermore, better regulation and a sense of mastery over one’s brainwave activity might, in turn, allow patients to experience more control over symptoms, further reducing psychological stress, which is one of the leading causes of FND symptoms such as non-epileptic seizures. Together, these methods can enhance traditional CBT outcomes by fostering a relaxed, focused brain state, improving emotional regulation, and enhancing neuroplasticity. This combined approach leverages the strengths of non-invasive brain stimulation with cognitive-behavioral interventions, offering patients a more integrated pathway to symptom management and long-term recovery. Although these potential benefits are promising, more research is needed to establish the efficacy of Neurofeedback and Alpha Brain Entrainment, and the benefits and challenges of their integration with current cognitive-behavioral interventions for FND.
This Research Topic aims to increase knowledge about the applications of Neurofeedback and Alpha Brain Entrainment in treating psychosomatic conditions and disorders, alone or in integration with cognitive-behavioral interventions. Submissions may include, but are not limited to:
• Psychogenic seizures and other disorders with a possible psychosomatic origin or component, such as fibromyalgia.
• The impact of these interventions on neurocognitive mechanisms including, for example, attentional control, executive functions, and memory.
• Observed cognitive and/or behavioral outcomes, including changes in avoidance behaviors, coping strategies, and emotional regulation as a result of the use of neurofeedback and/or alpha brain entrainment.
• Studies on the general benefits of neurofeedback/alpha brain entrainment, such as improvements in interoceptive awareness, as standalone interventions or in combination with other types of cognitive-behavioral interventions (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, etc.)
• Novel applications and integration within cognitive-behavioral frameworks to showcase the relevance and applicability of these interventions.
This Research Topic welcomes researchers to submit original research articles, reviews, meta-analyses, perspectives, and commentaries on these relevant topics, aiming to bridge the gap between neurocognitive mechanisms, behavioral outcomes, and therapeutic applications.
While the research on neurofeedback for psychosomatic disorders is evolving, it is important to understand the underlying neurocognitive mechanisms through which these interventions exert their effects. Specifically, the Research Topic aims to explore how Neurofeedback and Alpha Brain Entrainment influence cognitive, emotional, and psychophysiological processes such as attentional control, executive functions, working and episodic memory, mood, mental imagery ability, motor system excitability, and auditory evoked potentials. Moreover, there is evidence that alpha brain entrainment and neurofeedback can positively affect individuals’ overall mental health and health indicators (e.g., sleep quality). These different positive benefits are underpinned by one primary mechanism: the ‘entrainment’ of the brain to increasingly produce certain types of brainwaves selectively. Entrainment is the phenomenon by which when an oscillating system becomes synchronized to an external periodic force. Cortical electrical oscillations, or “brainwaves”, demonstrate this phenomenon in response to rhythmic stimuli, which can be sensory or direct electric or magnetic stimulation. Alpha entrainment refers to the modulation of cortical activity in the alpha band (8–12 Hz). Similarly, neurofeedback can be used to enhance alpha activity, but it is often considered a more ‘advanced’ practice than alpha entrainment as it uses real-time EEG sensors to record the client's brain waves and sends data to a computer, which analyses the data and provides feedback on the individuals’ brain waves. In turn, this allows individuals to have better control over their brain activation and alpha states in real-time.
There is increasing interest in the application of alpha brain entrainment and neurofeedback in the field of Functional Neurological Disorders (FND), an umbrella term that comprises neurological conditions that appear to be caused by issues in the nervous system but cannot be linked to any neurological disease or disorder. Health professionals sometimes call these disorders ‘medically unexplained’, psychosomatic or somatization. Their symptoms are genuine and often impairing but cannot be physiologically explained. They may include seizure-like episodes, movement problems, dizziness, pain (including chronic migraine), extreme slowness and fatigue, and many other clinical manifestations. As these symptoms usually have a remarkable negative impact on individuals’ lives, it is common for people with FND also to experience mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. Considering this, neurofeedback and alpha brain entrainment hold promise as non-invasive therapeutic approaches for individuals with FND. Neurofeedback, a technique that teaches individuals to regulate their brainwave activity, helps individuals with FND gain better control over dysfunctional brain patterns that may underlie their symptoms. In neurofeedback sessions, real-time monitoring of brainwaves allows patients to modulate their brain activity consciously, fostering a sense of control over their symptoms. This empowerment can reduce symptom severity, as FND is often linked to disruptions in the brain's self-regulation mechanisms. Alpha brainwave entrainment can enhance alpha waves, associated with relaxation and calm, and individuals with FND usually exhibit heightened levels of stress, anxiety, and arousal, which can exacerbate their symptoms. By promoting a more relaxed brain state, alpha entrainment may reduce the excessive neural excitability and emotional dysregulation often seen in FND patients. This reduction in arousal and improvement in emotional regulation may alleviate symptoms such as non-epileptic seizures or functional movement disorders. Both neurofeedback and alpha entrainment target the maladaptive brain patterns that can perpetuate FND symptoms, offering a mind-body approach that complements traditional therapies. By fostering greater self-regulation of brain activity, these techniques may improve patients’ quality of life, reduce symptom frequency, and promote long-term neurological stability without reliance on medication. Additionally, alpha brain entrainment and neurofeedback can have positive effects on behavioral outcomes, such as reductions in avoidance behaviors, improved coping strategies, and enhanced emotional regulation, which can, in turn, help reduce the tendency to display impulsive behavior.
Neurofeedback and Alpha Brain Entrainment offer enhanced treatment options and improved care due to their non-invasive nature and potential for use as complementary therapy alongside conventional treatments like psychotherapy or medication. More specifically, they have the potential to be effectively incorporated into Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to create a comprehensive treatment approach for individuals with FND. CBT, a well-established therapy for FND, focuses on identifying and modifying maladaptive thoughts, behaviors, and emotional responses that contribute to the disorder. By integrating neurofeedback and alpha brain entrainment, patients can learn to regulate their brainwave activity alongside the cognitive restructuring processes central to CBT. Furthermore, better regulation and a sense of mastery over one’s brainwave activity might, in turn, allow patients to experience more control over symptoms, further reducing psychological stress, which is one of the leading causes of FND symptoms such as non-epileptic seizures. Together, these methods can enhance traditional CBT outcomes by fostering a relaxed, focused brain state, improving emotional regulation, and enhancing neuroplasticity. This combined approach leverages the strengths of non-invasive brain stimulation with cognitive-behavioral interventions, offering patients a more integrated pathway to symptom management and long-term recovery. Although these potential benefits are promising, more research is needed to establish the efficacy of Neurofeedback and Alpha Brain Entrainment, and the benefits and challenges of their integration with current cognitive-behavioral interventions for FND.
This Research Topic aims to increase knowledge about the applications of Neurofeedback and Alpha Brain Entrainment in treating psychosomatic conditions and disorders, alone or in integration with cognitive-behavioral interventions. Submissions may include, but are not limited to:
• Psychogenic seizures and other disorders with a possible psychosomatic origin or component, such as fibromyalgia.
• The impact of these interventions on neurocognitive mechanisms including, for example, attentional control, executive functions, and memory.
• Observed cognitive and/or behavioral outcomes, including changes in avoidance behaviors, coping strategies, and emotional regulation as a result of the use of neurofeedback and/or alpha brain entrainment.
• Studies on the general benefits of neurofeedback/alpha brain entrainment, such as improvements in interoceptive awareness, as standalone interventions or in combination with other types of cognitive-behavioral interventions (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, etc.)
• Novel applications and integration within cognitive-behavioral frameworks to showcase the relevance and applicability of these interventions.
This Research Topic welcomes researchers to submit original research articles, reviews, meta-analyses, perspectives, and commentaries on these relevant topics, aiming to bridge the gap between neurocognitive mechanisms, behavioral outcomes, and therapeutic applications.
Keywords: Psychosomatic disorder(s), functional neurological disorder(s), psychogenic disorder(s), conversion disorder(s), psychogenic seizures, interoception, neurofeedback, alpha brain entrainment
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