Musical Neurofeedback Advancements, Feedback Modalities, and Applications: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The field of EEG-Neurofeedback (EEG-NF) training has showcased significant promise in treating various mental disorders, while also emerging as a cognitive enhancer across diverse applications. The core principle of EEG-NF involves consciously guiding the brain in desired directions, necessitating active engagement in neurofeedback (NF) tasks over an extended period. Music listening tasks have proven to be effective stimuli for such training, influencing emotions, mood, and brainwave patterns. This has spurred the development of musical NF systems and training protocols. Despite these advancements, there exists a gap in systematic literature that comprehensively explores and discusses the various modalities of feedback mechanisms, its benefits, and the emerging applications. Addressing this gap, our review article presents a thorough literature survey encompassing studies on musical NF conducted over the past decade. This review highlights the several benefits and applications ranging from neurorehabilitation to therapeutic interventions, stress management, diagnostics of neurological disorders, and sports performance enhancement. While acknowledged for advantages and popularity of musical NF, there is an opportunity for growth in the literature in terms of the need for systematic randomized controlled trials to compare its effectiveness with other modalities across different tasks. Addressing this gap will involve developing standardized methodologies for studying protocols and optimizing parameters, presenting an exciting prospect for advancing the field.