Neurofeedback as an Adjunct to Pharmacotherapy in OCD: A Randomized Controlled Trial on Symptom Reduction.
Saeid Yazdi-Ravandi, Zahra Taslimi, Reza Khosrowabadi et al.
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In 30 seconds
This single-blind randomized clinical trial evaluated neurofeedback added to pharmacotherapy in 45 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), assigned equally to neurofeedback, placebo-procedure, or pharmacotherapy-only groups. The neurofeedback group received 25 sessions alongside medication. Mean total obsession scores, including thought and compulsion subscales, improved significantly, and the neurofeedback group improved more on all outcome measures than either comparison group (p < 0.05). The placebo and pharmacotherapy-only groups did not differ significantly (p > 0.05).
Key findings
- The neurofeedback-plus-pharmacotherapy group improved more on all outcome measures than both comparison groups (p < 0.05).
- Mean total obsession scores, including thought and compulsion subscales, improved significantly (p < 0.01).
- No significant difference was found between the placebo-procedure and pharmacotherapy-only groups (p > 0.05).
Why it matters
OCD symptoms may remain challenging to manage, and this trial suggests that neurofeedback could provide an additional non-invasive approach when used with medication. The comparison with both a placebo procedure and pharmacotherapy alone offers preliminary evidence that the observed improvement was associated with the neurofeedback intervention, while the findings require confirmation in broader studies.
What to keep in mind
The trial was conducted at a single hospital and included 45 patients, with 15 per group; the abstract does not report follow-up beyond the intervention.