Trial reportEpilepsy & behavior : E&B2019
Neurofeedback impacts cognition and quality of life in pediatric focal epilepsy: An exploratory randomized double-blinded sham-controlled trial.
Trial report in Epilepsy & behavior : E&B, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 25 citations in OpenAlex.
- Review of EEG-based neurofeedback as a therapeutic intervention to treat depression.Psychiatry research. Neuroimaging · 2023Pooled it
- How standardized are "standard protocols"? Variations in protocol and performance evaluation for slow cortical potential neurofeedback: A systematic review.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2022Pooled it
- Slow-Oscillation Neurofeedback: A Narrative Review on Clinical Efficacy in Pediatric Settings.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Quantitative electroencephalography as a next-generation tool in neurodiagnostics: significance, clinical applications, and practical interpretative frameworks.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Review
- How to Improve Cognitive Flexibility: Evidence From Noninvasive Neuromodulation Techniques.CNS neuroscience & therapeutics · 2025Review
- Multi-level treatment outcome evaluation in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health · 2025Article
- Effects of a novel non-pharmacological intervention based on respiratory biofeedback, neurofeedback and median nerve stimulation to treat children with ADHD.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2025Article
- Effects of neurofeedback on the self-concept of children with learning disorders.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Article
- The Management and Alternative Therapies for Comorbid Sleep Disorders in Epilepsy.Current neuropharmacology · 2021Review
- Seeking Alpha: Can Neurofeedback Actually Work?Epilepsy currentsArticle
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveChildren with epilepsy experience cognitive deficits and well-being issues that have detrimental effects on their development. Pharmacotherapy is the standard of care in epilepsy; however, few interventions exist to promote cognitive development and to mitigate disease burden. We aimed to examine the impact of two different modalities of neurofeedback (NFB) on cognitive functioning and quality-of-life (QOL) measurements in children and adolescents with controlled focal epilepsy. The study also explored the effects of NFB on clinical outcomes and electroencephalography (EEG) quantitative analysis.
methodsParticipants (n = 44) with controlled focal epilepsy were randomized to one of three arms: sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) NFB (n = 15), slow cortical potentials (SCP) NFB (n = 16), or sham NFB (n = 13). All participants received 25 sessions of intervention. The attention switching task (AST), Liverpool Seizure Severity Scale (LSSS), seizure frequency (SF), EEG power spectrum, and coherence were measured at baseline, postintervention, and at 3-month follow-up.
resultsIn children and adolescents with controlled focal epilepsy, SMR training significantly reduced reaction time in the AST (p = 0.006), and this was correlated with the difference of change for theta power on EEG (p = 0.03); only the SMR group showed a significant decrease in beta coherence (p = 0.03). All groups exhibited improvement in QOL (p = <0.05).
conclusionsThis study provides the first data on two NFB modalities (SMR and SCP) including cognitive, neurophysiological, and clinical outcomes in pediatric epilepsy. Sensorimotor rhythm NFB improved cognitive functioning, while all the interventions showed improvements in QOL, demonstrating a powerful placebo effect in the sham group.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.