Marvin Berman, PhD President

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Quietmind Foundation Announces Phoebe Haas Charitable Trust Grant
Contact Jon Frederick, Ph.D., Director of Clinical Research at
610-270-9167, or email jonfrederick@quietmindfdn.org

The Quietmind Foundation announced the receipt of a grant from the Phoebe Haas Charitable Trusts in support of a clinical trial using a non-drug, biofeedback-based treatment to improve mental functioning for people struggling with frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

Brainwave biofeedback (or “neurofeedback”) techniques have previously been shown to be an effective treatment for seizure disorders, substance abuse, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. This is the first study of the efficacy of neurofeedback for FTD patients.

Frontotemporal dementia, also known as Pick’s disease, is the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease. It is characterized by a loss of insight, impaired judgment, disordered conduct, and personality disturbances, while memory function is relatively spared. The onset of the disease is often in the early 50’s.

Previous studies have shown that FTD involves abnormally low blood flow to the brain, and a slowing of the brain’s dominant EEG rhythm. This study will examine the ability of both passive and active biofeedback to correct these abnormalities and improve cognitive, behavioral, and emotional functioning. In passive biofeedback, the desired variations are gently stimulated by rhythmic light and sound. In active biofeedback, measures of these biological states are displayed continuously in real time, and desired variations are rewarded.

The study was recently approved by the Foundation's Institutional Review Board (IRB) and is now actively recruiting subjects from around the Delaware Valley. Approved subjects will receive free neuropsychological assessments, a quantitative EEG, and twenty to thirty biofeedback training sessions at the Quietmind clinic offices in Lafayette Hill.

The Quietmind Foundation is a non-profit, research and educational foundation. Since 1999 it has been devoted to bringing neurofeedback into the public healthcare and educational mainstream.

Details: http://www.quietmindfdn.org/ftd