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Review
. 2024 May 10;13(10):2813.
doi: 10.3390/jcm13102813.

A Scoping Review of the Effect of EEG Neurofeedback on Pain Complaints in Adults with Chronic Pain

Britt B Schuurman  1 , Richel L Lousberg  1 , Jan U Schreiber  2 , Therese A M J van Amelsvoort  1 , Catherine J Vossen  2   3
Affiliations
Review

A Scoping Review of the Effect of EEG Neurofeedback on Pain Complaints in Adults with Chronic Pain

Britt B Schuurman et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Background and Aim: Non-pharmacological treatments such as electroencephalogram (EEG) neurofeedback have become more important in multidisciplinary approaches to treat chronic pain. The aim of this scoping review is to identify the literature on the effects of EEG neurofeedback in reducing pain complaints in adult chronic-pain patients and to elaborate on the neurophysiological rationale for using specific frequency bands as targets for EEG neurofeedback. Methods: A pre-registered scoping review was set up and reported following the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). The data were collected by searching for studies published between 1985 and January 2023 in PubMed, EMBASE, and PsycINFO. Results: Thirty-two studies on various types of chronic pain were included. The intervention was well-tolerated. Approximately half of the studies used a protocol that reinforced alpha or sensorimotor rhythms and suppressed theta or beta activity. However, the underlying neurophysiological rationale behind these specific frequency bands remains unclear. Conclusions: There are indications that neurofeedback in patients with chronic pain probably has short-term analgesic effects; however, the long-term effects are less clear. In order to draw more stable conclusions on the effectiveness of neurofeedback in chronic pain, additional research on the neurophysiological mechanisms of targeted frequency bands is definitely worthwhile. Several recommendations for setting up and evaluating the effect of neurofeedback protocols are suggested.

Keywords: EEG neurofeedback; chronic pain; pain management; scoping review.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of EEG neurofeedback.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Flowchart study selection.
Figure 3
Figure 3
A visual representation of the study characteristics of the included studies. (A) The number of publications per year. (B) The types of chronic pain in the study population. (C) The frequency with which the type of neurofeedback was used as the intervention. (D) The gender distribution of the included studies.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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