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Neurofeedback Center of Virginia
Erik Ramsey
APRN, BC, BCIA-EEG
Sajeela Ramsey
MS, Ph.D, BCIA-EEG
803 W. Broad Street
Suite 620
Falls Church, Virginia 22046
(703) 536-2690
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Blog 5: Effects of Neurofeedback on IQ |
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The Smart Factor
People who have tried neurotherapy report experiencing a heightened sense of clarity sometimes even after a single session. But does this subjective experience translate into objective findings of changes in mental abilities, specifically the IQ or standardized test of intelligence?
In 1991, Tansey reported improvements in IQ in 24 children with attention problems at an average of almost 20 points. Several other studies have shown improvements of between 9 to 23.5 points (Linden, 1996; Lubar, 1995; Othmer, 1999; Thompson, 1998).
This is significant when compared with several studies that demonstrated IQ scores in children with learning problems tended to stay fairly constant (Cheng, 1993; Streissguth, 1991). Spitz (1986) reviewed the effects of programs such as Head Start in developmentally delayed children and concluded they had no significant effect.
Recently, Fleischman and Othmer (2006) reported that it appears Neurotherapy has a positive effect on increasing the IQ,and that such changes were maintained over a five year period in developmentally delayed twin sisters. These were small studies with a specific population, so it is not clear how generalizable these findings are. Nonetheless, it provokes the question: "Does neurotherapy have a positive effect on human intelligence?".
A review of research cited below indicates promising possibilities regarding an answer to the rhetorical question.
References:
Cheng, 1993. Stability and intellectual structure of learning disabled children. Psychological Science (China), 16 (3), 158-161.
Fleischman and Othmer, 2006, Case study: Improvements in IQ Score and maintenance of gains following EEG biofeedback with mildly developmentally delayed twins. Journal of Neurotherapy, 9 (4), 35-46.
Linden, 1996. A controlled study of the effects of biofeedback on cognition and behavior of children with Attention Deficit Disorder and Learning Disabilities. Biofeedback and Self-Regulation. 21 (1, 35-49).
Lubar, 1995. Evaluation of the effectiveness of EEG neurofeedback training for ADHD in a clinical setting as measured by changes in TOVA scores, behavioral ratings and WISC-R performance. Biofeedback and Self-Regulation. 2 (1, 83-99).
Othmer, 1999. EEG Biofeedback; training for ADHD and related disruptive behavior disorders. In D. Tesmer (Ed.), Understanding, diagnosing and treating ADHD in Children and adolescents. New York; Aranson.
Spitz 1986. The raising of intelligence; a selected history of attempts to raise retarded intelligence. Hillsdale, NJ; Lawrence Erlbaum.
Streissguth 1991. A test-retest study of intelligence in patients with fetal alcohol syndrome; implications for care. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.30 (4, 584-587).
Tansey, 1991. Wechsler (WISC-R) Changes following treatment of learning disabilities via EEG Biofeedback training in a private practice setting. Australian Journal of Psychology, 43, 147-153.
Thompson, 1998. Neurofeedback combined with training in metacognitive strategies; effectiveness in students with ADD. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, 23 (4), 243-263.
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