Effect of electroencephalography-based motor imagery neurofeedback on mu suppression during motor attempt in patients with stroke.
Seungwoo Cha, Kyoung Tae Kim, Won Kee Chang and 5 others
PMID 40437579WHAT IT FOUND
EEG neurofeedback produced greater movement-related EEG signal suppression during imagined movement and attempted grasp than sham in 15 patients with subacute stroke.
It did not test hand function recovery.
Key findings
01During motor imagery neurofeedback, mu suppression was greater than sham in the ipsilesional motor cortex during tasks 1, 2 and 3.
02After neurofeedback, mu suppression during real grasp attempts increased over time and was greater than sham in the ipsilesional motor cortex at grasps 3 and 4.
03A moderate positive correlation was found between the Fugl-Meyer upper-extremity score and change in mu suppression between grasps 1 and 4 in the ipsilesional motor cortex.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The final analysis included 15 patients, although 20 consented, so the study is small and may not apply broadly. The outcome was EEG mu suppression, not hand function, daily activity or another clinical rehabilitation endpoint. The intervention was brief, and the authors state it was likely insufficient to elicit clinically meaningful effects. The sham used other participants' EEG, so it may have acted as an active control rather than a true placebo condition. No post-intervention interviews checked whether participants believed they received neurofeedback or sham. Randomisation order had a marginally significant effect in one ipsilesional parietal grasp analysis.
Declared interests
Funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea and the SNUBH Research Fund. The supplied text does not state author conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that neurofeedback improves hand function. The trial measured EEG mu suppression, not clinical motor recovery, and the authors state the brief intervention was likely insufficient to elicit clinically meaningful effects.