Abstract
Using neurofeedback (NF), individuals can learn to modulate their own brain activity, in most cases electroencephalographic (EEG) rhythms. Although a large body of literature reports positive effects of NF training on behavior and cognitive functions, there are hardly any reports on how participants can successfully learn to gain control over their own brain activity. About one third of people fail to gain significant control over their brain signals even after repeated training sessions. The reasons for this failure are still largely unknown. In this context, we investigated the effects of spontaneous mental strategies on NF performance. Twenty healthy participants performed either a SMR (sensorimotor rhythm, 12–15 Hz) based or a Gamma (40–43 Hz) based NF training over ten sessions. After the first and the last training session, they were asked to write down which mental strategy they have used for self-regulating their EEG. After the first session, all participants reported the use of various types of mental strategies such as visual strategies, concentration, or relaxation. After the last NF training session, four participants of the SMR group reported to employ no specific strategy. These four participants showed linear improvements in NF performance over the ten training sessions. In contrast, participants still reporting the use of specific mental strategies in the last NF session showed no changes in SMR based NF performance over the ten sessions. This effect could not be observed in the Gamma group. The Gamma group showed no prominent changes in Gamma power over the NF training sessions, regardless of the mental strategies used. These results indicate that successful SMR based NF performance is associated with implicit learning mechanisms. Participants stating vivid reports on strategies to control their SMR probably overload cognitive resources, which might be counterproductive in terms of increasing SMR power.
Highlights
Using neurofeedback (NF), individuals can learn to modulate their own brain activity
There are hardly any reports on how participants can successfully learn to gain control over their own brain activity. We addressed this question by focusing on the effects of different mental strategies on NF performance
NEUROFEEDBACK PERFORMANCE: MENTAL STRATEGY vs. REPORTING NO SPECIFIC STRATEGY SMR group In order to investigate the effects of spontaneous mental strategies on SMR based NF performance, a 2 × 2 univariate repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) with the between subject factor strategy group and the within-subject factor time was applied for the dependent variable z-transformed SMR power values
Summary
Using neurofeedback (NF), individuals can learn to modulate their own brain activity. Undesirable patterns of activity are ignored or punished (Coben and Evans, 2010). When participants become successful in regulating their own brain activity, e.g., voluntarily increase specific EEG frequency bands, improvements in cognition and behavior usually follow (Kotchoubey et al, 1999; Wolpaw et al, 2002; Gruzelier and Egner, 2005; Kübler et al, 2005; Kübler and Kotchoubey, 2007; Kropotov, 2009; Coben and Evans, 2010). There are hardly any reports on how participants can successfully learn to gain control over their own brain activity. We addressed this question by focusing on the effects of different mental strategies on NF performance
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