Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by positive symptoms (hallucinations and delusions), negative symptoms (anhedonia, social withdrawal) and marked cognitive deficits (memory, executive function, and attention). Current mainstays of treatment, including medications and psychotherapy, do not adequately address cognitive symptoms, which are essential for everyday functioning. However, recent advances in computational neurobiology have rekindled interest in neurofeedback (NF), a form of self-regulation or neuromodulation, in potentially alleviating cognitive symptoms in patients with SCZ. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review of the literature for NF studies in SCZ to identify lessons learned and to identify steps to move the field forward. Our findings reveal that NF studies to date consist mostly of case studies and small sample, single-group studies. Despite few randomized clinical trials, the results suggest that NF is feasible and that it leads to measurable changes in brain function. These findings indicate early proof-of-concept data that needs to be followed up by larger, randomized clinical trials, testing the efficacy of NF compared to well thought out placebos. We hope that such an undertaking by the field will lead to innovative solutions that address refractory symptoms and improve everyday functioning in patients with SCZ.

中文翻译：

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神经反馈在精神分裂症患者中的潜在用途的系统评价。


精神分裂症 (SCZ) 是一种神经发育障碍，其特征为阳性症状（幻觉和妄想）、阴性症状（快感缺乏、社交退缩）和明显的认知缺陷（记忆、执行功能和注意力）。目前的主要治疗方法，包括药物和心理治疗，并不能充分解决认知症状，而认知症状对于日常功能至关重要。然而，计算神经生物学的最新进展重新燃起了人们对神经反馈（NF）的兴趣，神经反馈是一种自我调节或神经调节的形式，有可能减轻 SCZ 患者的认知症状。因此，我们对 SCZ 的 NF 研究文献进行了系统回顾，以总结经验教训并确定推动该领域向前发展的步骤。我们的研究结果表明，迄今为止的 NF 研究主要包括案例研究和小样本、单组研究。尽管随机临床试验很少，但结果表明 NF 是可行的，并且它会导致大脑功能发生可测量的变化。这些发现表明早期的概念验证数据需要通过更大规模的随机临床试验来跟进，以测试 NF 与经过深思熟虑的安慰剂相比的功效。我们希望该领域的此类工作能够带来创新的解决方案，解决 SCZ 患者的难治性症状并改善其日常功能。