Therapeutic Effects of Alpha-neurofeedback in the Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa

The aim of the present study is to investigate the impact of EEG frequency band biofeedback (neurofeedback) training on EEG topography and symptomatology of patients suffering from anorexia nervosa (AN).

There is evidence that alpha-neurofeedback leads to an increase in positive therapy outcome in clinical populations by changing long-lasting EEG frequency patterns. The use of an EEG-guided relaxation paradigm has been shown to be associated with well-being and improvements in pathology of psychiatric patients.

In the present study the effects of alpha-training on EEG activity, mood, personality, well-being, blood parameters, and heart frequency will be evaluated in a sample of anorectic girls (12-18 years).

The subjects are trained with at least 10 sessions alpha-neurofeedback, in order to enhance individual alpha frequency, with spectral resting EEG, EKG, blood samples, ERP-measures and psychometric measures assessed before and after training. Neurofeedback is conducted over a period of five weeks, with each participant receiving two training sessions per-week. Neurofeedback is administered using USBAmp-EEG system.

For better surveillance of training effects there are two non-treatment control groups. A patient group receiving conventional therapy programme of the Psychosomatic Division of the Pediatric Department at the University Hospital Graz and a healthy control group.