How long does the effect of training last?

For the training effect to last, therapists report there has to be "enough training." This tends to mean overlearning or overtraining.  In simple terms, you should train up to 5 to 10 sessions after you've seen the major symptoms improve.  If you quit before symptoms have stabilized, it's more likely the effects won't stick.

Dr. Joel Lubar at the University of Tennessee and a few others have done long term followup on clients.  Dr. Lubar says they've followed ADD clients who've sustained neurofeedback improvements for 10-20 years.  Published research on epilepsy 12 months after training shows the effects on epilepsy usually holds.  Clinicians commonly report long lasting changes.  However, much more research in this area still needs to be performed.

Certain individuals may experience a relapse of symptoms.  The trigger could be an injury, trauma, extreme stress, or other major life insults.  Underlying neurological issues or genetic vulnerabilities may be factors.   Many clients’ results hold and they seem to never need “maintenance” sessions.  For others, ongoing training may be appropriate.  Once someone has been through intensive training, those who need “maintenance” often require only a few sessions to get them back on track.  Once the brain has “gotten the training”, it usually doesn’t take much training to recover.     

Certain problems, such as brain injury, autism, Tourette’s, cerebral palsy, or other neurological problems, may require long-term ongoing treatment to maintain improvements.  For degenerative problems, including MS, Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s, reports suggest neurofeedback helps stabilize function; slow the process, or may help optimize brain function with whatever resources still exist.  It’s more of a “quality of life” training than an attempt to remediate the problem.