Efficacy of Neurofeedback Brain Training for PD.

Unfortunately, few people are aware of the efficacy of Neurofeedback brain training for Parkinson’s Disease (PD).  

Neurofeedback research shows that idiopathic PD patients see a minimum improvement of about 47% in their PD symptoms. Neurofeedback brain training can help reduce the intensity of your symptoms and delay their progression. Our patients see an improvement of their quality of life for many years.

EEG Brain Wave Patterns of PD and Targets for Training.

Analyzing their qEEG brain maps, PD patients usually have a major increase of fast theta, slow alpha, beta as well as high beta. Theta and beta oscillations tend to lock together, which causes many of the motor control symptoms such as tremor, rigidity, slowness of movement, etc. This pattern is what Levodopa medications as well as Deep Brain Stimulation devices are trying to interrupt. However, long term use of Levodopa can increase theta and beta over time and cause more symptoms such as Freeze of Gait and Dystonia (involuntary movements).

Brain training to reduce theta and beta over the motor cortex and especially the supplementary motor area is a target of Neurofeedback Brain Training. In addition, Sensory Motor Rhythm (SMR, 13-15Hz) training over the motor strip can stabilize those areas and improve deep restorative sleep.

Timing and Tracking Progress of your Brain Training.

Your training appointments should be aligned with your weaning off Levodopa. It is best to do brain training when symptoms are returning and the effects of L-Dopa are weaning off.

We track progress before and after each Neurofeedback session. Our PD patients:

·         Draw a spiral and write l’s and e’s with both hands to check their tremor before and after each NFB session

·         Fill out a symptom progress tracker every session

With your permission, we also track progress by:

·         Taking a video recording of your gait before starting your training plan and after

·         Performing a Timed Up and Go (TUG) test before start of your training plan and after

·         Keeping track of your UPDRS scores

It is however important to communicate and work hand in hand with your neurologist as we expect that medications will need to be titrated down with their help.

Contact us for assessment and qEEG brain map

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Research of Neurofeedback Brain Training for PD.

We encourage you to read some of the research below:

·         A Single Case Feasibility Study of Sensorimotor Rhythm Neurofeedback in Parkinson’s Disease, Alexander J. Cook*, Kristina J. Pfeifer and Peter A. Tass, Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Frontiers in Neuroscience, www.frontiersin.org, February 2021. Volume 15, Article 623317

·         A Systematic Review of Neurofeedback for the Management of Motor Symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease, Anil, K.; Hall, S.D.; Demain, S.; Freeman, J.A.; Ganis, G.; Marsden, J.Brain Sci. 2021, 11, 1292.

·         Neural Networks and Neurofeedback in Parkinson’s Disease, Sanad Esmail and David E. J. Linden, Institute of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University School of Medicine, United Kingdom

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“Neurofeedback should play a major therapeutic role in many difficult areas. In my opinion, if any medication had demonstrated such a wide spectrum of efficacy it would be universally accepted and widely used. It is a field to be taken seriously by all.”

- Frank Duffy, MD, Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School