The effectiveness of ILF Neurofeedback across different diagnostic groups - results from a new study

A recently published study by Theis et al. (2025) examines the effectiveness of ILF Neurofeedback across different diagnostic groups and explores whether subjective symptom changes correlate with objective performance measures.

Introduction
Globally there is a rise in psychiatric conditions, which leads to a growing    treatment demand. Psychotherapy based on learning processes and pharmacotherapy targeting chemical imbalances are the two dominant therapy options that were found to be efficient in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. However, the availability of psychotherapy is not always given and the waiting times can reach up to several months and there are high dropout rates. Pharmacotherapy is widely used, but in many cases also side-effects can appear that reduce the quality of life. In addition, it does not lead to long-lasting effects, which means that the beneficial effects may disappear as soon as medication is discontinued. In some cases, medication also does not lead to the desired results. Therewith the demand for new, complementary approaches is rising. Neurofeedback is one of them. It is grounded in the idea of overcoming dysregulations in brain activity which contribute to the development of mental disorders. Various (case) studies have shown the efficacy of Neurofeedback.

Study design
In an observational study, data from 256 subjects were collected in a group of therapeutic clinics. The subjects were divided according their ICD-10 F-codes into four categories:
F3—Mood [Affective] Disorders (MO)
F4—Neurotic, Stress-Related, and Somatoform Disorders (NS)
F8—Disorders of psychological development (PD)
F9—Behavioral and emotional disorders with onset usually occurring in childhood and adolescence (BE)
Subjective symptom tracking measures and objective continuous performance test measures were evaluated and checked for correlation.

Symptom tracking
Symptom tracking is a method commonly used in Neurofeedback therapy. It monitors the relevant symptoms over the course of the therapy. In this study symptom tracking was conducted after every session of ILF Neurofeedback. It was shown that the average symptom score decreases significantly over the course of time. The major decline could be observed within the first 10 sessions. 
 

Statistical discriminant correspondence analysis of the symptom tracking data resulted in the below plot. It can be seen that for the different disorder groups, there are different symptom profiles which discriminate one group from the other groups. 
 

Continuous performance test
The QIK Test (Continuous performance test) is an objective measure for gaining information such as reaction time or  commission and omission errors. QIK test was conducted before and after ILF Neurofeedback therapy. The analysis of the data revealed a significant reduction of reaction time after Neurofeedback therapy, independent of the diagnostic group. Same accounts for omission and commission errors. A significant reduction of both error rates could be observed after therapy, independent of the diagnostic group.

Correlation between the two measures
The correlation between objective and subjective measures was evaluated. For the Mood disorders group a correlation was found between symptom tracking changes and commission errors. Additionally a correlation could be found in the PD group between symptom tracking measures and correct responses and omission errors.

Summary 
This study in a naturalistic setting has shown the effectiveness of ILF Neurofeedback on self-reporting and performance over four diagnostic groups. Both a decline of symptoms as well as an increased performance measured by QIK test was observed. Although a correlation between symptom reduction and performance improvement was observed in some diagnostic groups, this suggests that subjective ratings and objective performance measures might be either independent or conditionally dependent on the specific diagnostic group or symptoms. 

Read the whole study here.

 
Theis, T., Bolduan, U., Seuß, S., Spallek, J., Wandernoth, B., & Mayer‑Pelinski, R. (2025). ILF‑neurofeedback in clinical practice: Examining symptom change and performance metrics across diagnostic groups. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 19, Article 1601187. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2025.1601187