Clinical Use of an Alpha Asymmetry Neurofeedback Protocol in the Treatment of Mood Disorders

Abstract

Background: This study reports on three of six patients who have completed an average of 27 neurofeedback sessions using a patented alpha asymmetry protocol for the treatment of depression. Method: The follow-up data, from one to five years post therapy, were derived from a single session re-test using the same alpha asymmetry protocol and the Beck Depression Inventory. Results: The three patients originally diagnosed as having unipolar depression reached the training criteria for the non-depressed range by the end of their initial training, and they have maintained their normal scores for right hemisphere alpha asymmetry training over time. The follow-up Beck Depression Inventory scores were also within the normal range. Discussion: This finding is contrary to the previously held demonstrations by Davidson and Henriques regarding the stability of decreased left anterior cortical activation in remitted depression. While some patients have reported mood changes with life’s vicissitudes, none have experienced clinical depression since they have terminated therapy.