Neurocore
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Neurocore is a "brain training" company, whose primary investors are Trump's Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos and her husband Dick, an Amway heir.[1] Neurocore uses unproven and medically dubious methods to treat autism, ADHD, anxiety, depression and other psychological and neurological diagnoses.[1] The methods include biofeedback.[1] Neurocore, according to one former employee, relies on the hard-sell technique to get customers.[1]
Dr. Matthew Siegel, a child psychiatrist at Maine Behavioral Healthcare and associate professor at Tufts School of Medicine, who co-wrote autism practice standards for the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry stated, "This [Neurocore] causes real harm to children because it diverts attention, hope and resources. If there were something out there that was uniquely powerful and wonderful, we’d all be using it."[1]
In March 2017, Neurocore published its first study of its regimen in the peer-reviewed journal NeuroRegulation.[2][3] The study however did not have a control group and the journal editor, "Rex Cannon, is himself involved in the brain training business."[3] Despite being a journal with "peer review", publishing a study that lacked basic scientific methods such as having a control group, would tend to suggest that NeuroRegulation might be a pseudojournal. Mark Murrison, the CEO, admitted that the study reported by Neurocore "would not pass the muster of higher-level clinical studies…"[3] Neurocore has also cited as evidence for efficacy third-party studies that lack basic research standards.[3]
On the other hand, a meta-analysis of well-controlled trials for neurofeedback treatment for ADHD failed to support neurofeedback as an effective treatment for ADHD.[4][3] And contrary to claims of brain-training companies, a large-scale review of brain training methods concluded that "brain-training software can enhance cognition outside the laboratory is limited and inconsistent."[5]
Many brain training firms, including Neurocore, are actually dismissive of higher-quality scientific studies and medical interventions,[3] which is essentially a form of mental illness denial. A Neurocore video stated, "Unlike medication, which temporarily masks your symptoms, neurofeedback promotes healthy changes in your brain to provide you with a lasting solution."[3] Psychiatric medication does not "mask" symptoms as opposed to simply altering chemical balances to achieve a desired effect. And Neurocore founder, Timothy G. Royer, tweeted "#Meds keep us from fixing the real problem".[6] Again, the poor understanding of psychiatry is noted: meds can be the difference between life and death in very dire cases.
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- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Betsy DeVos Invests in a Therapy Under Scrutiny by Sheri Fink et al. (Jan. 30, 2017) New York Times.
- ↑ Combined Neurofeedback and Heart Rate Variability Training for Individuals with Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression: A Retrospective Study by Elyse Kemmerer White et al. (2017) NeuroRegulation vol. 4, no. 1.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Betsy DeVos has invested millions in this ‘brain training’ company. So I checked it out. At a clinic in Florida, I found that Neurocore seems to be promising more than it can deliver. by Ulrich Boser (May 26, 2017) The Washington Post.
- ↑ Neurofeedback for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Meta-Analysis of Clinical and Neuropsychological Outcomes From Randomized Controlled Trials by Samuele Cortese et al. (2016) Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Volume 55, Issue 6, Pages 444–455. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2016.03.007.
- ↑ Do “Brain-Training” Programs Work? by Daniel J. Simons (2016) Psychological Science in the Public Interest, Vol. 17, Issue 3, pp. 103-186.
- ↑ If engine light comes on and you cover with duct tape "engine fixed?". #Meds keep us from fixing the real problem Timothy Royer (3:25 AM - 15 Oct 2015) Twitter.