EEG-neurobiofeedback treatment of patients with brain injury Part 3: Cardiac parameters and finger temperature changes associated with rehabilitation

Abstract

Background. Twenty-seven patients with brain injury were treated by compute-assisted electroencephalographic NeuroBioFeedback (EEG-NBF). All patients were medication-free during treatment. Methods. Parallel to targeted changes in EEG power spectra, secondary effects were monitored for heart rate, systolic and diastolic pressures, pulse rate and fingertip temperature. Results. Extreme blood pressure values generally responded by up and down-regulation toward normal values. Fingertip temperature (FT°) increased in both kinetic movement and amplitude from the beginning to the end of treatment and correlated directly with the rate of the patient's rehabilitation, reflecting an improvement of blood circulation. Blood pressure, pulse and FT° ranks in numerical values were compared by rank correlations. Conclusions. NBF in patients with brain injury results in beneficial physiological regulation in addition to initially targeted improvements in brain functions. Symptom associations versus the success or failure of EEG treatment and improvement rates reflected correction of symptoms as well as freedom from the bias of expectation in response to treatments.