The effectiveness of microcurrent neurofeedback on depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and quality of life.
Gloria Duke, Courtney N Yotter, Beverly Sharifian and 2 others
PMID 37682024WHAT IT FOUND
20 adults who received microcurrent neurofeedback twice weekly for 10 weeks reported lower anxiety, depression, and PTSD risk and better quality of life, but suicide risk did not improve.
Key findings
01Anxiety and depression scores showed significant reductions by the 10th session and remained significant at the 20th session.
02Quality of life scores improved significantly at the 10th and 20th sessions.
03PTSD risk scores improved significantly after 10 and 20 sessions, but suicide risk scores did not.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 20 of 33 enrolled participants completed all sessions and assessments. The sample was small, all participants were Caucasian and non-Hispanic, and recruitment was by convenience sampling. Blinding was not feasible, and outcomes were compared only with each participant's own baseline. Placebo effects and self-report bias cannot be ruled out. Medication use was not controlled, and participants were not required to be under the care of a mental health professional. Follow-up after the final session was not completed, so longer-term effects are unknown.
Declared interests
No funding or conflict of interest statement is provided in the supplied text. Participants who completed the study were offered a minimum of 65% discount on future sessions outside the study.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that microcurrent neurofeedback treats depression, anxiety, or PTSD. The study had no blinding, only 20 completers, and compared outcomes only with baseline, so the results cannot show that the device caused the improvement.