Neurofeedback may decrease autism symptoms: study (CBC)

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Neurofeedback may decrease autism symptoms: study

Neurofeedback may help improve brain connectivity problems that afflict autistic patients, allowing them to become more functional, a new study suggests.

Neurofeedback is a way of changing the brain's functioning through feedback about brain wave activity. It can help regulate the transmission of messages in different parts of the brain.

Autistic patients have abnormal neural connectivity pathways, with areas of very high connectivity and areas of very poor connectivity, according to the study. These have been identified through neuroimaging, such as MRI and positron emission tomography, which show that certain areas of the brain "converse" too much while others fail to make very many connections at all.

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From what I can read this neurofeedback is not permanent. If I understand correctly,i f it is not a cure, it is a way to study the way neuropathways and then alter those pathways using the feedback mechanism temporarily. I checked on some sites to understand just how neurofeedback works and it has been used already for people living on the Autism Spectrum, according to info posted on various websites.

Perhaps this study will be centred around a positive approach rather than curebie electronics.

Neurofeedback cannot be permanent, by the very nature of the brain itself. However, as far as I understand it, the theory is this: once the brain learns how to do something right, i.e. helpful to itself, it wants to keep doing things that way. When you're riding a bike, you learn how to stay balanced through a variety of mostly unconscious neuromuscular interactions. When you're being treated for neurological unpleasantries, your brain learns ways to process information more efficiently.

sartresue: I don't think it is being used as a cure for autism, more like a treatment for the unpleasant biomedical symptoms. At least, that is what my doctor is using it for. Hopefully nobody blows it out of proportion.

But you know, if there is a stupid way to do something, that’s how it will be done.

Did they mention anything about something called LENS neurofeedback? It's this new way of using electrodes and low-level electrical currents going to certain areas of the brain that is supposed to accomplish the same thing as regular neurofeedback, only faster... I'd like to read some research reports or studies on that type of neurofeedback or more studies on the regular kind too if there's anything more... I was seriously considering trying that, but hesitated because LENS was so new a couple of years ago and there didn't seem to be hardly any formal studies done on it to prove it's effectiveness..

like sticking your tongue into the power outlet...