Chapter Twelve – Neurofeedback for Seizure Disorders: Origins, Mechanisms and Best Practices

This review provides an updated overview of both basic and clinical research literature, neurophysiological rationale and current methods of practice pertaining to clinical neurofeedback. While considering general issues of physiology, epilepsy and learning principles, it focuses on the treatment of epilepsy with sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) training, arguably the best established clinical application of EEG operant conditioning. The basic research literature provides ample data to support a very detailed model of the neural generation of SMR, as well as the most likely candidate mechanism underlying its efficacy in clinical treatment. Further, although more controlled clinical trials would be desirable, a respectable literature supports the clinical utility of this alternative treatment for epilepsy. The skilled application of clinical neurofeedback with epilepsy requires a solid understanding of the disorder, as well as the neurophysiology underlying EEG oscillations and operant learning principles. The best clinical practice includes a systematic quantitative mapping of multi-electrode EEG measures against a normative database before and after treatment to assess outcomes, as well as documented measurement of progress towards EEG normalization during training.