Neurofeedback and Post- Stroke Recovery
Stroke remains a leading cause of long-term disability in the United States at a cost of $38 billion per year. About 650,000 persons survive a new stroke yearly and 7 million Americans live with the complications of stroke [1]. Conventional therapy has traditionally involved physical, occupational, and speech therapy, but changes in protocols are currently occurring at a rapid rate due to new scientific discoveries.
Pharmacologic interventions, cell-based and biologic therapies are expensive and come with a wide variety of side effects. Neurofeedback is non-invasive, completely safe and side- effect free, and cost effective compared with conventional medicine.
Recently neurofeedback has gotten some deserved recognition as a viable therapy for post-stroke recovery, even years after the event. A number of studies have confirmed what neurofeedback therapists have known for years- neurofeedback can bring about profound improvements in stroke recovery outcome.
Neurofeedback is a type of brain training or biofeedback that uses real-time displays of brain activity—most commonly