The effects of swLORETA Z-score neurofeedback for patients comorbid with major depressive disorder and anxiety symptoms.

Patients receiving neurofeedback had lower depression and anxiety scores after treatment than the comparison group. Because allocation was not randomized, other differences could explain some of the results.

Wu YC, Yu HE, Yen CF, Yeh YC, Jian CR, Lin CW, Lin IM.
Journal of affective disorders · Publication date: 2024-01-08
Added to site: 2026-09-09
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.01.020

Publication date recorded by Europe PMC; online and issue dates may differ.

Modalities

Neurofeedback, swLORETA, Z-score

Clinical focus

Depression, Anxiety

Population

Patients with major depression and anxiety symptoms

Sample

48 patients

Intervention / method

Ten one-hour swLORETA Z-score sessions, twice weekly

Comparator

Treatment as usual

Clinician summary

The study reported favorable post-treatment BDI-II and BAI comparisons, with EEG changes. The authors explicitly identify the lack of randomization as a limitation.

How to interpret the findings

Nonrandomized allocation and short pre/post observation limit causal inference and conclusions about durability.

Equipment and disclosures

swLORETA Z-score training is identified; hardware is not verified from the abstract.

Funding and competing-interest disclosures were not verified from the reviewed abstract.

Related evidence

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

• Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) combined with antidepressant pharmacotherapy for depression: state-dependent mechanisms, clinical evidence, and translational challenges · Positive with limitations
• Transcranial low voltage pulsed electromagnetic fields in patients with treatment-resistant depression. · Positive with limitations
• The effect of heart rate variability biofeedback training on stress and anxiety: a meta-analysis. · Positive with limitations
• Effects of swLORETA Z-score neurofeedback in Z-coherence of the fronto-limbic circuit in patients with major depressive disorder. · Positive with limitations
• Stanford Neuromodulation Therapy (SNT): A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial. · Positive with limitations
• Regulation in acute stress experience through functional near-infrared spectroscopy neurofeedback of the prefrontal cortex. · Positive with limitations
• Clinical Efficacy of High-Frequency Deep Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in the Treatment of Depression and the Predictive Role of Baseline Triglyceride Levels: A Randomized Sham-Controlled Trial. · Positive with limitations
• TMS-EEG Correlate of Suicidal Ideation in Individuals with Depression: A Multi-Site Synthesis. · Positive with limitations
• Motor Cortex rTMS Alleviates Pain and Comorbid Depression After Spinal Cord Injury with a Correlate in M1 Intracortical Inhibition. · Positive with limitations
• A PRISMA-compliant Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Late Positive Potential in Depression. · Positive with limitations
• Feasibility, tolerability, and preliminary effectiveness of an accelerated bilateral intermittent theta-burst stimulation protocol in adults with posttraumatic stress disorder and comorbid depressive disorder following mild traumatic brain injury. · Positive with limitations
• Accelerated TMS is associated with changes of subgenual cingulate-default mode network coupling in depression: an observational 7 Tesla fMRI study. · Mixed
• Identifying poor responders to repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation using structural brain networks. · Positive with limitations
• Theta burst stimulation with 80 and 120% resting motor threshold do not differ in their antidepressant efficacy: a retrospective analysis. · Positive with limitations
• The Effects of Alpha-Theta EEG Biofeedback Training on Anxiety and Stress: Novel Use of Hair Cortisol Concentration as a Biomarker · Positive with limitations
• TMS-Evoked Cortical Reactivity Signatures as a Multidimensional Biomarker of Depression: A TMS-EEG Meta-Analysis from Diagnosis to Prognosis. · Positive with limitations
• Psychological and physiological changes following a mindfulness-based intervention integrating breathing training and HRV biofeedback in adults with anxiety disorders · Mixed
• The effects of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) on heart rate variability (HRV) in people with depression and/or anxiety disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis · Positive with limitations