| Title: |
Biofeedback treatment for Tourette syndrome: A preliminary randomized controlled trial |
| Authors: |
Nagai Y; Cavanna A; Critchley HD; Stern JS; Robertson MM; Joyce E |
| Contributors: |
Nagai, Y; Cavanna, A; Critchley, H; Stern, J; Robertson, M; Joyce, E |
| Publisher Information: |
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; US |
| Publication Year: |
2014 |
| Collection: |
Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca: BOA (Bicocca Open Archive) |
| Subject Terms: |
biofeedback; electrodermal activity; sympathetic autonomic arousal; tic; Tourette syndrome |
| Description: |
OBJECTIVE:: To study the clinical effectiveness of biofeedback treatment in reducing tics in patients with Tourette syndrome. BACKGROUND:: Despite advances in the pharmacologic treatment of patients with Tourette syndrome, many remain troubled by their tics, which may be resistant to multiple medications at tolerable doses. Electrodermal biofeedback is a noninvasive biobehavioral intervention that can be useful in managing neuropsychiatric and neurologic conditions. METHODS:: We conducted a randomized controlled trial of electrodermal biofeedback training in 21 patients with Tourette syndrome. RESULTS:: After training the patients for 3 sessions a week over 4 weeks, we observed a significant reduction in tic frequency and improved indices of subjective well-being in both the active-biofeedback and sham-feedback (control) groups, but there was no difference between the groups in these measurements. Furthermore, the active-treatment group did not demonstrably learn to reduce their sympathetic electrodermal tone using biofeedback. CONCLUSIONS:: Our findings indicate that this form of biofeedback training was unable to produce a clinical effect greater than placebo. The main confounding factor appeared to be the 30-minute duration of the training sessions, which made it difficult for patients to sustain a reduction in sympathetic tone when their tics themselves were generating competing phasic electrodermal arousal responses. Despite a negative finding in this study, electrodermal biofeedback training may have a role in managing tics if optimal training schedules can be identified. |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| File Description: |
STAMPA |
| Language: |
English |
| Relation: |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pmid/24674962; info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/WOS:000334996500003; volume:27; issue:1; firstpage:17; lastpage:24; numberofpages:8; journal:COGNITIVE AND BEHAVIORAL NEUROLOGY; https://hdl.handle.net/10281/401641 |
| DOI: |
10.1097/WNN.0000000000000019 |
| Availability: |
https://hdl.handle.net/10281/401641; https://doi.org/10.1097/WNN.0000000000000019 |
| Rights: |
info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess ; license:Tutti i diritti riservati ; license uri:iris.PRI01 |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.7C113EAC |
| Database: |
BASE |