Neurofeedback and its possible relevance for the treatment of Tourette syndrome

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

Neurofeedback is an increasingly recognized therapeutic option in various neuropsychiatric disorders to treat dysfunctions in cognitive control as well as disorder-specific symptoms. In this review we propose that neurofeedback may also reflect a valuable therapeutic option to treat executive control functions in Gilles-de-la-Tourette syndrome (GTS). Deficits in executive control functions when ADHD symptoms appear in GTS likely reflect pathophysiological processes in cortico-thalamic-striatal circuits and may also underlie the motor symptoms in GTS. Such executive control deficits evident in comorbid GTS/ADHD depend on neurophysiological processes well-known to be modifiable by neurofeedback. However, so far efforts to use neurofeedback to treat cognitive dysfunctions are scarce. We outline why neurofeedback should be considered a promising treatment option, what forms of neurofeedback may prove to be most effective and how neurofeedback may be implemented in existing intervention strategies to treat comorbid GTS/ADHD and associated dysfunctions in cognitive control. As cognitive control deficits in GTS mostly appear in comorbid GTS/ADHD, neurofeedback may be most useful in this frequent combination of disorders.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)87-99
Number of pages13
JournalNeuroscience and biobehavioral reviews
Volume51
Publication statusPublished - 1 Apr 2015
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 25616186
ORCID /0000-0002-2989-9561/work/160952555

Keywords

Keywords

  • Basal ganglia, Cognitive control, Neural oscillations, Neurofeedback, Tourette syndrome