Disentangling oscillatory and aperiodic neural activity in autism: A spectral parameterization analysis of neurofeedback intervention.

Alpha neurofeedback was associated with improvements in caregiver-rated social cognition and relating skills. This encouraging small trial supports further study of individualized support for autistic children.

Li Y, Wu J, Liu N, Li X, Zhou T, Kang J.
Behavioural brain research · Publication date: 2026-07-23
Added to site: 2026-10-03
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2026.116396

First published online July 23, 2026, verified in PubMed and Europe PMC. The journal issue is dated October 2, 2026. Added as a historical publication at the owner's request, not newly published research.

Modalities

Neurofeedback, EEG, Alpha training, Spectral parameterization

Clinical focus

Autism, Social cognition, Caregiver-rated behavior, Periodic and aperiodic EEG

Population

Children with autism spectrum disorder; exact ages were unavailable in the checked abstract

Sample

40 children total; arm-specific allocation and analyzed denominators were not reported in the abstract

Intervention / method

Alpha-band neurofeedback, with resting EEG spectral parameterization and Social Responsiveness Scale and Autism Behavior Checklist assessments before and after intervention

Comparator

A no-feedback group; sham procedures and blinding details were not exposed in the checked abstract

Clinician summary

Training was associated with a steeper aperiodic EEG slope, greater periodic alpha power and higher alpha center frequency. Frontal and occipital spectral changes correlated with behavioral improvement. Separating periodic from aperiodic activity offers a useful research approach to evaluating training.

How to interpret the findings

The abstract omits session count, duration, arm sizes, attrition, blinding, effect sizes, direct between-group estimates, adverse events and follow-up. Caregiver ratings may be influenced by expectations. EEG correlations do not prove the mechanism of improvement; spectral measures do not directly establish restored excitation/inhibition balance or brain maturation. Durability and clinical importance remain uncertain.

Equipment and disclosures

The checked abstract does not identify neurofeedback hardware, software, electrode montage or manufacturer. No BrainMaster equipment attribution is made.

Europe PMC and Crossref identify National Key Research and Development Program of China grants 2025YFE0205100 and 2025YFE0213800. PubMed reproduces the authors' declaration of no conflicts of interest; full-text disclosures and funder roles were not independently checked.

Related evidence

Compare findings from the same clinical area, including mixed results.

• Excitation/inhibition balance subtypes in autism and their genetic, neural, and clinical profiles. · Positive with limitations