Another neuro-immune anomaly?

Following is another case history from one of the biggest rehabilitation hospitals in the US. A female meningenoma patient developed a pea-sized tumor which gradually grew to the size of a grape and then a plum. She underwent brain surgery and began rehabilitation because of neurological problems caused by the surgery. After several years the tumor reappeared and progressed to about the size of a plum again. She underwent another surgery. A number of years later the process repeated itself. The period of the three operations covered about fifteen years.

Sadly, the tumor reappeared for the fourth time and grew again to about the size of a grape and the patient was sent to the neurofeedback therapists at the hospital so that they could do the standard Traumatic Brain Injury protocol with her. They were hoping to improve her social skills and ability to initiate an action. The NFB therapists primarily employed a high frequency (beta) strategy with theta inhibit over the frontal lobes. They also did about three months of beta training over the site of the tumor. When they sent her for her pre op exam the neurologist was amazed to see that the tumor growth had apparently stopped.

This brought great relief because both the neurologist and the surgeon did not believe she would survive another operation; and if she did survive it they were sure she would be severely neurologically impaired. The neurologist said that they would look at her again in a year. Her family was euphoric because they had feared the worst. As of this writing she is stable and her next exam should be in about six months. So far, so good.

The trouble started when her mother began inquiring into what had been done this time that might have caused a better outcome. When she found out that the only thing different was the NFB she speculated that the NFB might be causing changes that had slowed the tumor growth and that continued NFB might even reduce tumor size. Naturally, she petitioned the neurologist and neurosurgeon to continue NFB with the patient. The neurologist asked the NFB therapist to do a literature search to see if anything like this had been reported and when it was clear that it had not he said that the whole idea was too absurd and in any case it was too experimental so he ordered NFB therapy terminated.

The mother was furious but unable to persuade them to change their minds. The neuro surgeon would not even return the therapist’s phone calls. There was so much resistance by the administration (neurologist and neurosurgeon) that the NFB therapists felt their jobs were in jeopardy. In fact, because of this episode and other similar conflicts, the neuropsychologist who set up and ran the entire NFB operation (at considerable profit to the hospital) has left and established a private practice nearby. There was apparently tremendous anger over the idea that the NFB therapists had suggested that NFB might have contributed to the stabilization of (or in any way effected) the tumor growth. To emphasize their point all tumor patients at the hospital are prohibited from NFB regardless of the reason (i.e., relaxation, education, rehabilitation, cognitive dysfunction, stroke, etc.). The mother is trying to find a way to continue NFB. It will be interesting to see what happens to the tumor and the patient from here on out.

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