Can Amygdala-Derived-EEG-fMRI-Pattern (EFP) Neurofeedback Treat Sleep Disturbances in PTSD?

BACKGROUND

Sleep disturbances are a core feature of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), affecting up to 90% of patients and often persisting after standard PTSD treatment. As all the current interventions have limitations, amygdala-targeted neuromodulation may offer a novel treatment pathway.

METHODS

Secondary analysis of a prospective, single-arm trial (n = 58) was carried out evaluating Prism™ amygdala-derived-EEG-fMRI-Pattern neurofeedback (Amyg-EFP-NF). Sleep outcomes were assessed using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-5) sleep item, PTSD Checklist (PCL-5) sleep item, and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) sleep items at baseline, post-treatment, and 3-month follow-up. Treatment consisted of 15 sessions over 8 weeks.

RESULTS

At 3-months' follow-up, 63.79% of participants demonstrated clinically meaningful reduction in sleep disturbances (≥1 point reduction in CAPS-5 Item 20). Sleep improvement showed a moderate correlation with overall PTSD symptom reduction (r = 0.484, < 0.001) and a balanced improvement pattern (-15.1% early, -9.1% late). Sleep responders sustained improvement across multiple measures and showed significant increases in cognitive reappraisal (mean change: +2.57 ± 1.0, = 0.006), while non-responders showed initial but un-sustained improvement in trauma-related dreams.

CONCLUSIONS

Amyg-EFP-NF shows preliminary promise for treating PTSD-related sleep disturbances. Our exploratory analyses suggest distinct temporal patterns of sleep improvement and potential associations with enhanced cognitive reappraisal capacity that warrant rigorous investigation in future randomized controlled trials.