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Neurofeedback in Learning Disabled Children: Visual versus Auditory Reinforcement

Thalía Fernández1, Jorge Bosch-Bayard2, Thalía Harmony2

  • 1Departamento de Neurobiología Conductual y Cognitiva, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus Juriquilla, Boulevard Juriquilla 3001, 76230, Juriquilla, Querétaro, Mexico. thaliafh@yahoo.com.mx.

Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback
|August 22, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Auditory neurofeedback (NFB) effectively reduces the theta/alpha ratio in children with learning disabilities (LD). This method also improves cognitive abilities more than visual NFB, suggesting it is a more efficacious treatment for LD.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Pediatrics
  • Cognitive Psychology

Background:

  • Children with learning disabilities (LD) often exhibit abnormal electroencephalogram (EEG) patterns, specifically an excess of theta activity and a deficit of alpha activity.
  • Neurofeedback (NFB) is a therapeutic tool that uses EEG feedback to help individuals regulate brain activity.
  • Previous research indicates NFB, using auditory stimuli, can positively reinforce decreases in the theta/alpha ratio, proving beneficial for LD children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To optimize neurofeedback (NFB) procedures for treating learning disabilities (LD).
  • To compare the efficacy of visual versus auditory reinforcers in NFB interventions for LD children.
  • To determine which type of reinforcer (visual or auditory) is more effective in improving EEG patterns and cognitive functions.

Main Methods:

  • Twenty children diagnosed with learning disabilities (LD) and an elevated theta/alpha ratio were recruited.
  • Participants were randomly assigned to either an Auditory NFB group or a Visual NFB group.
  • The Auditory group received a 500 Hz tone, while the Visual group received a white square as positive reinforcement for reducing their theta/alpha ratio.

Main Results:

  • Both the Auditory and Visual NFB groups demonstrated signs of EEG maturation (reduction in theta/alpha ratio).
  • However, only the children in the Auditory NFB group exhibited significant behavioral and cognitive improvements.
  • The auditory reinforcer proved more efficacious in both reducing the theta/alpha ratio and enhancing cognitive abilities compared to the visual reinforcer.

Conclusions:

  • Auditory neurofeedback (NFB) is a more effective intervention than visual NFB for children with learning disabilities (LD) exhibiting high theta/alpha ratios.
  • The auditory stimulus facilitates greater improvements in EEG patterns and cognitive functions compared to visual stimuli.
  • Optimizing NFB with auditory reinforcers offers a promising therapeutic avenue for addressing learning disabilities.

Keywords:
EEG-biofeedbackLearning disabled childrenNeurofeedbackQEEGVisual versus auditory reinforcement

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