The cover of this special issue shows a three-dimensional graphic of a brain depicting the “reward network” as a target for biofeedback intervention. The article by Robert Thatcher in this issue discusses the use of functional network analyses and a Z-score approach to selectively target a network of brain areas for training. (The editors are grateful to Dr. Thatcher for this graphic.)

The author dedicates this article to current and future board members of the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (AAPB), the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance (BCIA), and the International Society for Neurofeedback and Research (ISNR); their related foundations; state and regional societies; and any other nonprofits who serve our field. This article explores the advantages and disadvantages of self-management versus the use of a for-profit management company, explains the value of board orientation, identifies what new and established board members should understand, and stresses the importance of board service with integrity.

Research in the field of biofeedback has suffered both for lack of adequate methodological rigor and lack of adequate funding. The ISNR Research Foundation and the AAPB Foundation for Education and Research in Biofeedback are nonprofit foundations developed to promote and support a broad program of research in biofeedback and neurofeedback. A previous article featured an interview with the director of the ISNR Research Foundation, David Trudeau. The present article provides an interview with Paul Lehrer, Chair of the AAPB Foundation for Education and Research in Biofeedback. This interview series provides insight into the two foundations and invites professionals in the broad field of self-regulation therapies to support both.

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) continues to present challenges to researchers and clinicians across disciplines. Many of the arguments and disagreements at hand may originate from the box, or polemic camps, we have created, rather than the disorder itself. With this in mind, this article presents a novel approach for neurofeedback training, neuropsychometric evaluation, and outcome reporting specific to ADHD. In short, for ADHD to be treated effectively and empirically, outcomes must show learning (acquisition) has taken place, the electroencephalogram (EEG) or EEG current source density has changed, and psychometric data correspondingly has improved. It is time for novel approaches to take form as the toll ADHD exacts on the individual across the lifespan continues to progress. The author proposes a protocol for assessment, using a LORETA-based quantitative EEG to identify a network of brain structures on the cortical surface and below, with abnormal activation and LORETA-guided neurofeedback training to normalize activity in this network.

The purpose of this review is to discuss how new advances in neuroimaging and functional network analyses are applied to electroencephalography (EEG) biofeedback or neurofeedback. Clinical efficacy of one or a few scalp EEG recordings used in the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been repeatedly demonstrated over the past 34 years. However, a problem is that improved clinical outcome often requires 40 to 80 sessions, which is expensive and difficult for patient compliance. This review cites the scientific literature of direct measures of the nodes and connections between nodes in the attention and default mode networks that are correlated with ADHD using functional magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, and EEG inverse solutions such as low-resolution electromagnetic tomography. Three-dimensional EEG biofeedback that targets dysregulation in Brodmann areas of the attention and default networks provides increased specificity and can result in improved clinical outcome in fewer sessions.

This article reviews current medication practices for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition, diagnostic category of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. A wide range of medication classes are in use clinically, based on divergent pharmacological mechanisms, from stimulants to anticonvulsants to antidepressants, and including even more esoteric medications such as oxytocin and the various channel blockers. The author proposes that quantitative electroencephalography (EEG) patterns can provide a more reliable basis for medication selection than diagnostic category. The EEG's neurophysiological indicators for these medication classes are summarized and reviewed based not only on 41 years of experience in the field but also on outcomes from psychiatric practices, in an evidence-based approach to medication prediction.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a disorder of relatively high prevalence and frequently contributes to poor school and work performance. Neurofeedback (NFB) has proven to be an effective therapeutic modality in the treatment of ADHD. Recently introduced z-score LORETA neurofeedback offers promise as a tool, and appears to provide a more efficient therapy than standard two-channel neurofeedback. This advantage is based on the ability to train 19 channels simultaneously, and the ability to directly target an electrically dysregulated area of the brain, which may be more difficult to access with standard neurofeedback therapy (areas addressed with LORETA neurofeedback include the cingulate gyrus and hippocampal structures). This paper presents our experience with Z-score LORETA neurofeedback in the treatment of ADHD.

Procrastination, self-blame, and unproductive behavior are widespread problems in student populations and in human beings generally. The authors present a framework, called Transforming Failure into Success, which is utilized in undergraduate classes and based on self-observation, self-acceptance, and mental rehearsal of positive changes. They provide instructions and guidelines for positive mental rehearsal. They present a study comparing matched groups of undergraduate students, an intervention group that learned the Transforming Failure into Success approach, and a control group that did not. Both groups completed Likert-type scales assessing procrastination, productivity, and energy level. The students in the intervention group showed significant improvements in reducing procrastination, improving productivity, and increasing energy.

Patients can learn self-regulation skills and biofeedback-assisted relaxation in the office, yet fail to show symptomatic improvement. In many cases, the individual is perpetuating behavior in the workplace or elsewhere that hinders healing and symptom reduction, or exacerbates their complaints. A brief case example of a 25-year-old male with repetitive motion injury from computer use serves to illustrate the problem. The biofeedback practitioners used cognitive reframing and humor to assist the patient to accept work and “workstyle” changes facilitating symptom reduction.