27/06/2023
Articolo scritto dallo Psicologo Giuseppe Maurizio Arduino, dal Neuropsicologo Danilo Dimitri e dalla Neuropsichiatra Infantile Giuliana Delia.
Presente nel secondo numero del Giornale Italiano di ricerca clinica e psicoeducativa della Erickson: Autismo e disturbi del neurosviluppo.
Research aim:
This systematic review aims at investigating the use of the neurofeedback (NF) method in the treatment of cognitive and socio-relational disorders in patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) not associated with other genetic or epileptic disorders (i.e. Fragile X syndrome (FXS), tuberous sclerosis, Kleefstra syndrome or Angelman syndrome) aged 6 to 18 years.
Method:
This review was conducted according to the P.I.C.O. (Patient, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) model and the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses)
guidelines (Moher et al., 2009). The keywords used were: Neurofeedback, Neurofeedback therapy, Neurofeedback training, pervasive developmental disorder, autism, PDD, autism spectrum disorder, ASD, child and adolescent.
The search strings created were compared and selected by a third independent clinician. The search for the articles was carried out on the PubMed search engine and yielded a total of 434 articles.
The eligibility assessment was carried out by two independent clinicians who examined the articles according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria defined during the research design phase. 24 articles (14 clinical studies and 10 reviews) were finally included in the study.
Conclusions:
Three main aspects emerged from the review:
(1) According to the existing literature, new randomized controlled trials are needed to ensure a better understanding of the most effective NF treatments for patients diagnosed with ASD. There are currently different protocols that vary according to the psychiatric comorbidity (e.g. ADHD, anxiety, etc…);
(2) As for the use of NF, no differences were found between female and male samples with regard to the recognition of emotions or cognitive aspects (Sonja G. Werneck-Rohrer, 2021);
(3) NF treatments seem to be effective especially in the treatment of ADHD symptoms; however, as a number of sessions (with an average of 31 sessions) are required for the training, it is likely that it cannot be completed.
Neurofeedback, Neurofeedback therapy, Neurofeedback training, pervasive developmental disorder, autism, PDD, autism spectrum disorder, ASD, child and adolescent.
