Scientists have been working in recent years on a method called Decoded Neurofeedback (DecNef), which uses real-time scanning of brain waves combined with artificial intelligence analysis to try to treat a variety of disorders related to neurological dysfunction, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety disorders, and other psychiatric problems.
This approach requires a very experienced neurologist to lead the patient through multiple sessions to gradually achieve results. Doctors first use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to record a large amount of brain wave data, and then use an artificial intelligence system to find and isolate brain wave patterns that occur when the patient is afraid or when a distressing memory is triggered.
The patient’s brain waves are monitored in real time while the therapist guides the patient through some conversation or interaction or gives them some games to play. At the same time, the AI system looks for specific brainwave patterns in the real-time brainwave data.
Once a specific signal is found, the therapist gives the patient a reward, such as cash or a video of their choice, to reinforce the connection between their happy mood and the specific brainwave signal.
This method does not require any invasive manipulation and does not involve the use of medication. In recent years, some therapists have successfully used this approach to help patients overcome some of their psychological fears and increase their self-confidence.
However, this method does not work in some cases. Researchers are still not sure why. If you want to promote this method to a wider audience, it is important to know when it does not work, what exactly is the reason.
So a group of scientists has released five datasets on the DecNef study, hoping that other researchers will be able to provide more insight with this information.
Mitsuo Kawato, head of the Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience at the International Institute of Basic Technologies for Denki Communication (ATR Institute International) in Japan, one of the lead authors of this study, said, “These simple repetitive rewards can alter the original memory or mental state. Importantly, participants did not need to know the content of the memories associated with these brainwave patterns.”
Co-investigator Aurelio Cortese says, “DecNef therapy may have great benefits over traditional therapies for many clinical patients.”
Some traditional therapies, like Exposure Therapy, expose patients to information or situations that frighten them for long periods of time, thus gradually de-acclimating them. For many patients, this is a fairly painful process and for some it doesn’t work. Other therapies require the use of medications, which inevitably have side effects.
Cortes said DecNef therapy looks promising, and that the study is currently focused on treating PTSD, with the hope that more scientists will commit to speeding up the research.
The study was published Feb. 23 in Scientific Data, an open-source journal owned by Nature. The journal is dedicated to publishing scientifically valuable datasets and research that promotes the sharing and reuse of scientific data.
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