SynthesisEuropean psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists2020
Electroencephalography-based neurofeedback as treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 22 papers, 6 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.
Neurofeedback Training to Improve Prefrontal Functioning in Older Adults With Subclinical Depression and Anxiety: a Randomised Control Trial
Developing an EEG-fNIRS Neurofeedback Application for Brain Training for Autistic Children
Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 51 citations in OpenAlex.
- Can Electroencephalography-Based Neurofeedback Treat Post-traumatic Stress Disorder? A Meta-analysis Study.Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2025Pooled it
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of neurofeedback and its effect on posttraumatic stress disorder.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Pooled it
- Neurofeedback Effect on Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2023Pooled it
- Neurofeedback for post-traumatic stress disorder: systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical and neurophysiological outcomes.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2023Pooled it
- Efficacy of Neuro-Feedback Training for PTSD Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Neurofeedback of Alpha Activity on Memory in Healthy Participants: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2020Pooled it
- Alpha/Theta Ratio Neurofeedback Training for Attention Enhancement in Normal Developing Children: A Brief Report.Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2022Trial
- A brain-health framework for PTSD: integrating digital biomarkers into multimodal assessment.NPJ digital medicine · 2026Review
- Smart Devices and Multimodal Systems for Mental Health Monitoring: From Theory to Application.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- PTSD and complex PTSD, current treatments and debates: a review of reviews.British medical bulletin · 2025Review
- Study protocol for a multi-session randomized sham-controlled trial of PCC- and amygdala-targeted neurofeedback for the treatment of PTSD.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- γ neuromodulations: unraveling biomarkers for neurological and psychiatric disorders.Military Medical Research · 2025Review
- Effectiveness of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) in Treating Borderline Personality Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Alpha psychiatry · 2025Article
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of neurofeedback training efficacy and neural mechanisms in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2025Article
- Increasing Value and Reducing Waste of Research on Neurofeedback Effects in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: A State-of-the-Art-Review.Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2024Review
- Process Design for Optimized Respiration Identification Based on Heart Rate Variability for Efficient Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia Biofeedback.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Infra-Low Frequency Neurofeedback in the Treatment of Patients With Chronic Eating Disorder and Comorbid Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2022Article
- Correction of Stress-Induced States Using Sensory Stimulation Automatically Modulated by Endogenous Human Rhythms.Neuroscience and behavioral physiology · 2022Article
- Effectiveness, Cost-Utility, and Safety of Neurofeedback Self-Regulating Training in Patients with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Z-score neurofeedback, heart rate variability biofeedback, and brain coaching for older adults with memory concerns.Restorative neurology and neuroscience · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is debilitating for patients and society. There are a number of treatment methods albeit not all patients respond to these and an interesting method using electroencephalography-based neurofeedback (EEG-NF) has become more prominent in recent years. This systematic review aimed to assess whether EEG-NF, compared with sham NF, other treatment, or no treatment, is effective for PTSD. Primary outcomes were self-harm, PTSD symptoms, level of functioning and health-related quality of life.
methodsSystematic literature searches for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were conducted in six databases. Random effects meta-analysis was performed. Certainty of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation.
resultsFour RCTs were included (123 participants). Suicidal thoughts were significantly reduced after EEG-NF compared with a waiting list in a small study. PTSD symptoms were assessed in all studies with different instruments. Results were consistently in favor of EEG-NF with large effect sizes (standardized mean difference -2.30 (95% confidence interval: -4.37 to -0.24). One study reported significantly improved level of executive functioning and one study a reduction in use of psychotropic medication. Complications were scarcely reported. Certainty of evidence was assessed as very low for the four assessed outcomes.
conclusionsBased on four RCTs, with several study limitations and imprecision, it is uncertain whether EEG-NF reduces suicidal thoughts, PTSD symptoms, medication use, or improves function. Although all studies showed promising results, further studies are needed to increase the certainty of evidence.
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.