The Effectiveness of Neurofeedback on Cognitive Functioning in Patients with Alzheimer s Disease

Alzheimer s Disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. In a qEEG, patients with AD present a greater amount of theta activity compared to normal aging individuals. An excess of delta and a decrement of alpha and beta is also observed. Little is known about the effect of neurofeedback in patients with dementia. However, it has been successfully applied in the treatment of different disorders. The objective of this study was to examine if neurofeedback has a positive effect on the cognitive performance in patients with AD. Ten patients whose qEEG met the typical pattern for patients with AD received neurofeedback training. These patients were compared with 123 AD patients who received treatment as usual (TAU). Participants were between the age of 61 and 90. All patients received a test designed to assess cognitive functioning preand posttreatment. The test-retest reliability of the TAU group for the total CAMCOG score was 0.84 and varied between the subscales from 0.56 to 0.78. Individual results, analyzed with a reliable change index (RCI), indicated that patients who received neurofeedback treatment had stable cognitive functions. When the groups were compared; patients with neurofeedback treatment showed an improvement in learning memory, other cognitive functions were stable. In comparison, patients with TAU had an overall decrement in cognitive functioning, with the exception of orientation in time. In sum, neurofeedback has a positive effect on the cognitive performance of patients with AD. Patients who received neurofeedback treatment had stable cognitive functions and an increase in the recognition and recall of information, whereas TAU patients showed a decrement in these functions.