Can EEG‐Neurofeedback Training Enhance Effective Connectivity in People With Chronic Secondary Musculoskeletal Pain? A Secondary Analysis of a Feasibility Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial
STS Instructor Authored by Mark Smith
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Study at a glance
- Area
- Pain & Headache
- Study type
- Randomized controlled trial
- Authors
- Mathew J, Adhia DB, Smith ML, De Ridder D, Mani R
- Journal
- Brain and Behavior
- Year
- 2025
- Participants
- 21
- Population
- Adults, Older adults
- Protocol
- infraslow neurofeedback (pgACC, dACC, bilateral S1) vs sham
- Sessions
- 9 sessions
Key findings
- Directed connectivity between pregenual and dorsal anterior cingulate increased with real training
- Connectivity from pregenual cingulate to somatosensory cortex also increased
- Flow from right somatosensory cortex to dorsal cingulate decreased
- Changes were mainly in the infraslow band; larger trials are needed to test clinical benefit
This secondary analysis used data from a double-blind, sham-controlled feasibility trial in people with painful knee osteoarthritis who had nine sessions of infraslow neurofeedback or sham. The training targeted the pregenual and dorsal anterior cingulate and both primary somatosensory cortices. Using Granger causality to measure the direction of information flow between regions, the real-training group showed stronger connections between the targeted pain-related regions, mostly in the infraslow band.