New Research on Biofeedback for Seizure Control

Antiepileptic drugs are the mainstay in the management of epilepsy. However, despite optimal drug therapy, approximately one-third of patients continue to have seizures. Behavioral interventions, including biofeedback, represent an adjunctive therapeutic axis in the management of drug refractory epilepsy. Based on an increased understanding of the physiological relationship between peripheral autonomic and central cortical arousals, new research has demonstrated the effect of biofeedback training, based on the galvanic skin response (GSR), on seizure frequency in patients with treatment resistant epilepsy. This article summarizes the results of clinical trials and basic studies using different methodological techniques, including EEG and functional neuro-imaging, to provide and account for the neural mechanisms through which GSR biofeedback influences epilepsy.