Effectiveness of Neurofeedback on Working Memory and Cognitive Flexibility in Patients with Mild Depression: A Clinical Trial

Background: Depression is a common illness, with approximately 280 million cases worldwide.  Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of neurofeedback on working memory and cognitive flexibility in patients with mild depression. Methods: This clinical trial was performed on 30 patients with mild depression in Rasht, Iran in 2022 who were purposefully selected and randomly divided into intervention and control groups. Neurofeedback was applied on the intervention group and data collection tools were the Goldberg Depression Inventory, Dennis and Vander Wal’s Cognitive Flexibility Questionnaire and Danman & Carpenter’s Working Memory Questionnaire. Data were analyzed by analysis of covariance. Results: Neurofeedback therapy was effective in increasing working memory (P=0.038) and cognitive flexibility (P<0.001) in patients with mild depression. Conclusion: Neurofeedback system can change brain activity using a simple reward system. Therefore, neurofeedback therapy is recommended as a potential complementary therapy for patients with depression.