Photo Credit: YAKOBCHUK VIACHESLAV
The following is a summary of “A safety and feasibility randomized placebo controlled trial exploring electroencephalographic effective connectivity neurofeedback treatment for fibromyalgia,” published in the January 2025 issue of Pain by Anderson et al.
Fibromyalgia, a chronic pain disorder causing significant disability, linked to abnormal brain connectivity between areas involved in pain modulation (pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (pgACC)) and sensory processing (primary somatosensory cortex), with neurofeedback offering the potential to normalize this activity and improve pain and function.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the safety, feasibility, and acceptability of an electroencephalography-based neurofeedback training targeting alpha-band connectivity between the pgACC and S1, as well as its impact on pain and function.
They assessed 30 participants with fibromyalgia (N = 30; 15 = active, 15 = placebo) who completed 12 sessions of neurofeedback. Feasibility and outcome measures, including pain (Brief Pain Inventory) and function (Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire), were collected at baseline, immediately after, and at 10 days and 1-month post-intervention.
The results showed the neurofeedback training targeting effective connectivity was feasible, with a recruitment rate of 6 participants per month, an adherence rate of 80.5%, and a dropout rate of 20%. The treatment was safe, with no adverse events, and highly acceptable, receiving an average rating of 8.0/10. Both the active and placebo groups showed similar reductions in pain and functional impact.
Investigators concluded that a fully powered clinical trial rigorously assessed the efficacy of effective connectivity neurofeedback training in individuals with fibromyalgia, specifically investigating its potential benefits in those with and without co-occurring chronic fatigue.
Source: nature.com/articles/s41598-024-83776-8
