Peak performance across domains - including elite sport and high-level executive functioning - depends not only on skill acquisition and psychological training, but fundamentally on the integrity and adaptability of underlying neurophysiological systems. Infra-Low Frequency (ILF) neurofeedback represents an emerging intervention targeting self-regulatory capacity at the level of brain network dynamics. This article explores the application of ILF neurofeedback in performance populations, integrating perspectives from neuropsychology, performance psychology, and sports medicine. Clinical observations suggest that ILF training supports improvements in attentional control, sensorimotor integration, emotional regulation, and recovery processes, thereby enhancing both performance output and resilience under pressure.

Neurofeedback has been used in clinical practice for many years. At the same time, there is ongoing discussion about the neurophysiological mechanisms through which different neurofeedback approaches exert their effects. In the case of Infra-Low Frequency (ILF) neurofeedback in particular, imaging studies demonstrating objective changes in the brain beyond subjective reports have so far been limited.
A study published in December 2025 in the scientific journal NeuroImage addresses this gap. The aim of the work was not to evaluate the clinical efficacy of neurofeedback, but to investigate the neurophysiological effects of the signal components of an established ILF neurofeedback protocol from a mechanistic perspective.

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.

La deuxième partie de l'article « Clinical ILF neurofeedback with children and adolescents » a été publiée dans le numéro actuel (1/2025) du forum für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie, Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie (forum pour la psychiatrie de l'enfant et de l'adolescent, la psychosomatique et la psychothérapie) du bkjpp (Association professionnelle pour la psychiatrie de l'enfant et de l'adolescent, la psychosomatique et la psychothérapie en Allemagne e.V.).

The study addresses the question of whether infra-low frequency (ILF) neurofeedback has positive effects on adults suffering from an eating disorder. To find out, the participants in the study were divided into two groups, with one group receiving ILF neurofeedback and the other group receiving only a placebo. The study “Infra-Low Frequency Neurofeedback in the Treatment of Patients With Chronic Eating Disorder and Comorbid Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder” by Winkler et al. shows that the positive effect of neurofeedback treatment is already measurable after 12 sessions.