P02.89. Low Energy Neurofeedback System (LENS) for stress, anxiety, and cognitive function: an exploratory study

Abstract

Purpose Stress and anxiety are endemic problems in western societies and have negative effects on health, wellbeing and cognitive function. Low Energy Neurofeedback Sys-tem (LENS) is a form of Neurofeedback (NFB) with pro-mising clinical reports supporting its use in addressing these problems. However, research is needed, and this exploratory study was conducted to test compliance; evaluate an innovative blinding procedure and outcome-measure inventories; provide data to calculate sample size and power; and collect preliminary evidence on effi-cacy of LENS for addressing stress, anxiety and cognitive function in medical students. Methods We utilized a randomized, double-blind, placebo con-trolled design, and recruited twenty medical students from the National College of Natural Medicine, aged 25-58. Participants were randomized to a series of six LENS (n=10) or sham treatments (n=10) over a period of seven weeks. Exploratory outcome measures included the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelli-gence (WASI), Trail Making Test A and B test (TMT), and the Brown Peterson Task (BPT).