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Transcend the DSM Using Phenotypes

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Check out this Knowledge Base article from StressTherapy Solutions: Transcend the DSM Using Phenotypes.

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Study at a glance

Area
QEEG, Methods & Mechanisms
Study type
Review & meta-analysis
Authors
Gunkelman J
Journal
Biofeedback
Year
2006
Protocol
QEEG phenotype-guided neurofeedback

Key findings

  • A limited set of EEG patterns is proposed to describe most EEG variance
  • Patterns such as a raised theta/beta ratio appear across many DSM diagnoses, so they lack diagnostic specificity
  • Genetically linked examples include low-voltage fast EEG and paroxysmal patterns in some idiopathic epilepsies
  • Cited work reported roughly doubled efficacy when QEEG guided neurofeedback design for ADHD, compared with behaviorally based protocols

A commentary arguing that EEG phenotypes, rather than the behavior-based categories of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), should guide choices of neurofeedback and medication. The author proposes that a small number of semistable EEG/QEEG patterns, linked to genetics, account for much of the observed EEG variance and cut across DSM diagnoses. Citing earlier work, he argues that these phenotypes predict an individual's response to treatment better than the diagnosis does.