A safety and feasibility randomized placebo controlled trial exploring electroencephalographic effective connectivity neurofeedback treatment for fibromyalgia
Abstract Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition contributing to significant disability worldwide. Neuroimaging studies identify abnormal effective connectivity between cortical areas responsible for descending pain modulation (pregenual anterior cingulate cortex, pgACC) and sensory components of p...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-83776-8 |
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| author | Lucy Anderson Dirk De Ridder Paul Glue Ramakrishnan Mani Cindy van Sleeuwen Mark Smith Divya Bharatkumar Adhia |
| author_facet | Lucy Anderson Dirk De Ridder Paul Glue Ramakrishnan Mani Cindy van Sleeuwen Mark Smith Divya Bharatkumar Adhia |
| author_sort | Lucy Anderson |
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| description | Abstract Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition contributing to significant disability worldwide. Neuroimaging studies identify abnormal effective connectivity between cortical areas responsible for descending pain modulation (pregenual anterior cingulate cortex, pgACC) and sensory components of pain experience (primary somatosensory cortex, S1). Neurofeedback, a brain-computer interface technique, can normalise dysfunctional brain activity, thereby improving pain and function. This study evaluates the safety, feasibility, and acceptability of a novel electroencephalography-based neurofeedback training, targeting effective alpha-band connectivity from the pgACC to S1 and exploring its effect on pain and function. Participants with fibromyalgia (N = 30; 15 = active, 15 = placebo) received 12 sessions of neurofeedback. Feasibility and outcome measures of pain (Brief Pain Inventory) and function (Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire) were collected at baseline and immediately, ten-days, and one-month post-intervention. Descriptive statistics demonstrate effective connectivity neurofeedback training is feasible (recruitment rate: 6 participants per-month, mean adherence: 80.5%, dropout rate: 20%), safe (no adverse events) and highly acceptable (average 8.0/10) treatment approach for fibromyalgia. Active and placebo groups were comparable in their decrease in pain and functional impact. Future fully powered clinical trial is warranted to test the efficacy of the effective connectivity neurofeedback training in people with fibromyalgia with versus without chronic fatigue. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0ec8db273acc457a83f20be944915194 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
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| spelling | doaj-art-0ec8db273acc457a83f20be9449151942025-01-05T12:14:42ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-01-0115111510.1038/s41598-024-83776-8A safety and feasibility randomized placebo controlled trial exploring electroencephalographic effective connectivity neurofeedback treatment for fibromyalgiaLucy Anderson0Dirk De Ridder1Paul Glue2Ramakrishnan Mani3Cindy van Sleeuwen4Mark Smith5Divya Bharatkumar Adhia6Department of Surgical Sciences, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of OtagoDepartment of Surgical Sciences, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of OtagoDepartment of Psychological Medicine, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of OtagoSchool of Physiotherapy, Centre for Health, Activity, and Rehabilitation Research, University of OtagoDepartment of Surgical Sciences, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of OtagoNeurofeedback Therapy Services of New YorkDepartment of Surgical Sciences, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of OtagoAbstract Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition contributing to significant disability worldwide. Neuroimaging studies identify abnormal effective connectivity between cortical areas responsible for descending pain modulation (pregenual anterior cingulate cortex, pgACC) and sensory components of pain experience (primary somatosensory cortex, S1). Neurofeedback, a brain-computer interface technique, can normalise dysfunctional brain activity, thereby improving pain and function. This study evaluates the safety, feasibility, and acceptability of a novel electroencephalography-based neurofeedback training, targeting effective alpha-band connectivity from the pgACC to S1 and exploring its effect on pain and function. Participants with fibromyalgia (N = 30; 15 = active, 15 = placebo) received 12 sessions of neurofeedback. Feasibility and outcome measures of pain (Brief Pain Inventory) and function (Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire) were collected at baseline and immediately, ten-days, and one-month post-intervention. Descriptive statistics demonstrate effective connectivity neurofeedback training is feasible (recruitment rate: 6 participants per-month, mean adherence: 80.5%, dropout rate: 20%), safe (no adverse events) and highly acceptable (average 8.0/10) treatment approach for fibromyalgia. Active and placebo groups were comparable in their decrease in pain and functional impact. Future fully powered clinical trial is warranted to test the efficacy of the effective connectivity neurofeedback training in people with fibromyalgia with versus without chronic fatigue.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-83776-8FibromyalgiaNeurofeedbackBrain computer interfacePain |
| spellingShingle | Lucy Anderson Dirk De Ridder Paul Glue Ramakrishnan Mani Cindy van Sleeuwen Mark Smith Divya Bharatkumar Adhia A safety and feasibility randomized placebo controlled trial exploring electroencephalographic effective connectivity neurofeedback treatment for fibromyalgia Scientific Reports Fibromyalgia Neurofeedback Brain computer interface Pain |
| title | A safety and feasibility randomized placebo controlled trial exploring electroencephalographic effective connectivity neurofeedback treatment for fibromyalgia |
| title_full | A safety and feasibility randomized placebo controlled trial exploring electroencephalographic effective connectivity neurofeedback treatment for fibromyalgia |
| title_fullStr | A safety and feasibility randomized placebo controlled trial exploring electroencephalographic effective connectivity neurofeedback treatment for fibromyalgia |
| title_full_unstemmed | A safety and feasibility randomized placebo controlled trial exploring electroencephalographic effective connectivity neurofeedback treatment for fibromyalgia |
| title_short | A safety and feasibility randomized placebo controlled trial exploring electroencephalographic effective connectivity neurofeedback treatment for fibromyalgia |
| title_sort | safety and feasibility randomized placebo controlled trial exploring electroencephalographic effective connectivity neurofeedback treatment for fibromyalgia |
| topic | Fibromyalgia Neurofeedback Brain computer interface Pain |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-83776-8 |
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