Differential effects of mindfulness treatment and mobile neurofeedback on event-related potentials in early posterior negativity in cancer patients: a clinical-experimental parallel group design
Frontiers in Psychology October 1, 2024 Madeleine Fink, Kira Schmidt, Axel Kowalski et al.
Both mindfulness therapy and neurofeedback (EEG-biofeedback) can alter how cancer patients' brains process emotional images, as measured by early posterior negativity (EPN), a brain response reflecting very early attention to emotional stimuli. In a randomized trial with 42 cancer patients, 10 sessions of either intervention produced distinct effects: neurofeedback increased EPN for negative images, suggesting a confrontational processing style, while mindfulness therapy increased EPN for positive images, indicating a refocusing of attention toward positive content. The interventions modulated emotional processing differently, though further research is needed to isolate the effects from other factors.