Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36691908›Full record

Trial reportIntegrative cancer therapies

Neurofeedback Treatment Affects Affective Symptoms, But Not Perceived Cognitive Impairment in Cancer Patients: Results of an Explorative Randomized Controlled Trial.

Madeleine Fink, Saskia Pasche, Kira Schmidt, Mitra Tewes, Martin Schuler, Bernhard W Mülley, Dirk Schadendorf, Norbert Scherbaum, Axel Kowalski, Eva-Maria Skoda and 1 more

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Integrative cancer therapies. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Madeleine FinkUniversity of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-1028-0064
Saskia PascheUniversity of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Kira SchmidtUniversity of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Mitra TewesUniversity of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Martin SchulerUniversity of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Bernhard W MülleyUniversity of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Dirk SchadendorfUniversity of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Norbert ScherbaumUniversity of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-1759-6990
Axel KowalskiNeuroFit GmbH, Krefeld, Germany.
Eva-Maria SkodaUniversity of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Martin TeufelUniversity of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEEG biofeedback (NF) is an established therapy to enable individuals to influence their own cognitive-emotional state by addressing changes in brainwaves. Psycho-oncological approaches of NF in cancer patients are rare and effects are hardly studied.

objectiveThe aim of this explorative, randomized controlled trial was to test the effectiveness of an alpha and theta NF training protocol, compared to mindfulness based therapy as an established psycho-oncological treatment.

methodsOf initially 62 screened patients, 56 were included (inclusion criteria were cancer independent of tumor stage, age >18 years, German speaking; exclusion criteria suicidal ideation, brain tumor). Randomization and stratification (tumor stage) was conducted by a computer system. Participants got 10 sessions over 5 weeks, in (a) an NF intervention (n = 21; 13 female, 8 male; MAge = 52.95(10 519); range = 31 to 73 years)) or (b) a mindfulness group therapy as control condition (CG; n = 21; ie, 15 female, 6 male; MAge = 50.33(8708); range = 32 to 67 years)). Outcome parameters included self-reported cognitive impairment (PCI) as primary outcome, and secondary outcomes of emotional distress (DT, PHQ-8, GAD-7), fatigue (MFI-20), rumination (RSQ), quality of life (QoL, EORTC-30 QoL), self-efficacy (GSE), and changes in EEG alpha, and theta-beta band performance in the NF condition.

resultsNo changes in cognitive impairment were found (

conclusionThis is the first study to investigate NF technique with regard to basic mechanisms of effectiveness in a sample of cancer patients, compared to an established psycho-oncological intervention in this field. Though there were no changes in cognitive impairment, present data show that NF improves affective symptoms comparably to mindfulness-based therapy and even more pronounced in QoL and self-efficacy.Trial registration: ID: DRKS00015773.

Indexed as

Cognitive DysfunctionMindfulnessNeoplasmsNeurofeedbackAdultAffective SymptomsAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedQuality of Lifealpha bandanxietycancerdepressiondistressEEG biofeedbackmindfulnessneurofeedbackquality of lifeself-efficacy

Identifiers

PMID36691908
PMCPMC9893099

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Registered trials

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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.