Critically evaluate the use of neurofeedback techniques as a mechanism Essay

Critically evaluate the use of neurofeedback techniques as a mechanism for enhancing human performance - Essay Example The report also differentiates neurofeedback from other therapeutic treatments used in training the human brain to regulate various cortical activities of their bodies (LaVaque, 2003). Finally, the report pinpoints the numerous criticisms that have been levelled against the use of neurofeedback technique and sums it up by a short concluding remark. From the outset, LaVaque (2003) attempted to define Neurofeedback by alluding that it is a form of conditioning technique aimed at bringing gradual change to the human mind. Broadly, the technique has been associated with Biofeedback which on one hand is claimed to be fundamentally concerned with improving the inherent communication between the mind and the body (Linden & Moseley, 2006). This claim is further confirmed by the definition arrived at by three professional Biofeedback organizations sometime in 2008 where they noted: â€Å"Biofeedback is a process that enables an individual to learn how to change physiological activity for the purposes of improving health and performance. By use of precise instruments to measure physiological activity such as brainwaves, heart function, breathing, muscle activity, and skin temperature, accurate information is rapidly relayed back to the user for eventual implementation†. ... For the foregoing definitions, it becomes critical to address the pertinent issues associated with Neurofeedback techniques. Background Research has variously identified Neurofeedback as a somewhat complicated form of biofeedback that requires sufferers to learn self-regulating certain aspects of their body activities through conditioning. Such distinct parameters of these body activities have been cited by Bladin (2006) as coherence in their mind processes that can be studied using a painless technique namely electroencephalography (EEG). As noted by Nestoriuc et al (2008), Biofeedback has been used in relieving headaches, asthma and blood pressure as well as optimizing performance in elite athletes for close to forty years. The practice has continued to date where Neurofeedback is actively being applied as a therapeutic tool to treat different types of disorders including but not limited to epilepsy, lack of sleep or reduced alertness in children (Norbert, 2007). Further observatio ns by Mark & Barlow (2009) indicate that the advancement in IT has enabled partially incapacitated patients to converse and even show some signs of mobility. Additionally, application of technological prowess has greatly seen Neurofeedback allowing otherwise incapacitated patients learn to normalize physiological processes such as muscle co-ordination, respiration, and blood pressure. This breakthrough is further evidenced by the development of â€Å"Inner Act’s platform for Biofeedback† which is lauded by Cannon et al (2008) as the mostly utilized platform for elite athletes. It is therefore in the interest of this report to mention that most recent researches have focused on the possibility of using healthy individuals as control subjects to prove the efficacy of