Comparing the Efficacy of Two Neurofeedback Protocols for Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences

Status: Completed

Conditions: Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Treatments: Device: EEG Neurofeedback

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06361953

IR.SBMU.MSP.REC. 1401. 161

Details and patient eligibility

About

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is one of the most prevalent mental disorders in adults, marked by excessive and uncontrollable worry about various events or activities. It is accompanied by symptoms such as restlessness, irritability, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, problems with sleep, and somatic symptoms.

In addition, a critical and up-to-date comparison of different treatments for GAD is crucial due to their high costs and unsatisfactory outcomes. EEG neurofeedback training has not reached the same level of evidence as more extensively validated non-pharmacological treatments, such as cognitive behavioral therapy.This study aimed to compare the efficacy of two protocols: one targeting alpha-theta amplitude increase and the other concentrating on SMR.

Enrollment: 40 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 20+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Normal hearing and vision,
• had never undergone neurofeedback sessions,
• diagnosed as GAD by a psychiatrist,
• no history of neurological disorders
• undergoing other therapies

Exclusion criteria

• started other treatments during the study
• missed more than one session

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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40 participants in 2 patient groups

Alph-Theta

Experimental group

Description:

15 sessions of alpha (8-12Hz) and theta (4-8Hz) push on Pz based on 10-20 international system

Treatment:

Device: EEG Neurofeedback

Sensory Motor Rhythm

Experimental group

Description:

15 sessions of sensory-motor rhythm (12-15Hz) push on Cz based on 10-20 international system

Treatment:

Device: EEG Neurofeedback