sensorimotor rhythm (SMR)
Research Papers
Showing 6 of 16EEG-heart rate connectivity changes after sensorimotor rhythm neurofeedback training: Ancillary study
OBJECTIVES: Neurofeedback can induce long-term changes in brain functional connectivity, but its influence on the connectivity between different physiological systems is unknown. The present paper is an ancillary study of a previous paper that confirmed the effect of neurofeedback on brain connectivity associated with chronic pain. We analysed the influence of neurofeedback on the connectivity between the electroencephalograph (EEG) and heart rate (HR). METHODS: Seventeen patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia were divided into three groups: good sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) training responders (n = 4), bad SMR responders (n = 5) and fake training (SHAM, n = 8). Training consisted of six sessions in which participants learned to synchronize and desynchronize SMR power. Before the first training (pre-resting state) and sixth training (post-resting state) session, open-eye resting-state EEG and electrocardiograph signals were recorded. RESULTS: Good responders reduced pain ratings after SMR neurofeedback training. This improvement in fibromyalgia symptoms was associated with a reduction of the connectivity between the central area and HR, between central and frontal areas, within the central area itself, and between central and occipital areas. The sham group and poor responders experienced no changes in their fibromyalgia symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide new evidence that neurofeedback is a promising tool that can be used to treat of chronic pain syndromes and to obtain a better understanding of the interactions between physiological networks. These findings are preliminary, but they may pave the way for future studies that are more methodologically robust. In addition, new research questions are raised: what is the role of the central-peripheral network in chronic pain and what is the effect of neurofeedback on this network.
View Full Paper →Sensorimotor rhythm neurofeedback training relieves anxiety in healthy people
Timely relief of anxiety in healthy people is important, but there is little research on this topic at present. Neurofeedback training allows subjects to regulate their specific brain activities autonomously and thus alter their corresponding cognitive functions. Inattention is a significant cognitive deficit in patients with anxiety. Sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) was reported to be closely related to attention. In this study, trainability, frequency specificity, and brain-behavior relationships were utilized to verify the validity of a relative SMR power protocol. An EEG neurofeedback training system was developed for alleviating anxiety levels in healthy people. The EEG data were collected from 33 subjects during SMR up-training sessions. Subjects attended six times neurofeedback training for about 2 weeks. The feedback value of the neurofeedback group was the relative SMR power at the feedback electrode (electrode C3), while the feedback values for the control group were pseudorandom numbers. The trainability index revealed that the learning trend showed an increase in SMR power activity at the C3 electrode, confirming effects across training. The frequency specificity index revealed only that SMR band activity increased significantly in the neurofeedback group. The brain-behavior relationships index revealed that increased SMR activity correlated negatively with the severity of anxiety. This study indicates that neurofeedback training using a relative SMR power protocol, based on activity at the C3 electrode, could relieve anxiety levels for healthy people and increase the SMR power. Preliminary studies support the feasibility and efficacy of the relative SMR power protocol for healthy people with anxiety.
View Full Paper →Train Your Brain? Can We Really Selectively Train Specific EEG Frequencies With Neurofeedback Training
Neurofeedback (NFB) is an operant conditioning procedure whereby an individual learns to self-regulate the electrical activity of his/her brain. Initially developed as a treatment intervention for pathologies with underlying EEG dysfunctions, NFB is also used as a training tool to enhance specific cognitive states required in high-performance situations. The original idea behind the NFB training effect is that the changes should only be circumscribed to the trained EEG frequencies. The EEG frequencies which are not used as feedback frequencies should be independent and not affected by the neurofeedback training. Despite the success of sensorimotor rhythm NFB training in cognitive performance enhancement, it remains unclear whether all participants can intentionally modify the power densities of specifically selected electroencephalographic (EEG) frequencies. In the present study, participants were randomly assigned to either a control heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback (HRV) training group or a combination of HRV biofeedback and neurofeedback (HRV/NFB) training group. This randomized mixed design experiment consisted of two introductory theoretical lessons and a training period of 6 weeks. We investigated the evolution of the different EEG frequency bands of our two experimental groups across and within session. All the participants exhibited EEG changes across and within session. However, within the HRV/NFB training group, untrained EEG frequencies have been significantly modified, unlike some of the trained frequencies. Moreover, EEG activity was modified in both the HRV group and the HRV/NFB groups. Hence, the EEG changes were not only circumscribed to the trained frequency bands or to the training modality.
View Full Paper →The Efficacy of Neurofeedback for Pediatric Epilepsy
Approximately 470,000 children (birth to 18 years old) are afected by Epilepsy (CDC in Epilepsy. https://www.cdc.gov/epile psy/index.html, 2018). Since the initial fndings in the 1970s, Sensorimotor Rhythm (SMR) has been continuously utilized for the treatment of seizures. Studies have consistently demonstrated that SMR reduces the frequency and severity of seizure activity. Although a mix of pediatric cases, adolescents and adults have been sampled in previous studies, no age efects have been reported. There continues to be a lack of research in the area of neurofeedback for the treatment of epilepsy in the pediatric population. To date, no randomized control trial specifc to pediatric epilepsy has been published. The existing research regarding the use of neurofeedback in the treatment of epilepsy provides strong evidence that neurofeedback training might be an efective treatment for pediatric epilepsy. However, existing studies are not specifc to the pediatric population. Moreover, there is a lack of rigor in the studies in which the efects of neurofeedback in children and adolescents with epilepsy are documented. Therefore, based on the current literature, there is not enough evidence to state that neurofeedback is efcacious for the treatment of pediatric epilepsy. However, the APBB criteria for evidence-based practices indicate that neurofeedback for pediatric epilepsy is Possibly Efcacious (Level 2). Future research in which a randomized controlled trial approach is utilized will greatly help to increase support for the use of neurofeedback as an efcacious treatment for epilepsy.
View Full Paper →SMR Neurofeedback Training Facilitates Working Memory Performance in Healthy Older Adults: A Behavioral and EEG Study
Cognitive aging has become a major concern because life expectancy has increased and elderly populations are socially and economically active. Neurofeedback is a technique of neuromodulation through operant conditioning paradigm that uses a computer interface to provide real-time information about brain activity to increase individual self-perception and assist in modulation. The sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) training protocol is known to enhance attention and has been applied to improve cognitive performance, primarily for attention and memory gains. The aim of this study is to test if the SMR protocol can improve working memory performance in an aging population and consequently favor cognitive reserve. Seventeen older adults (12 females) took part in a randomized placebo-controlled study. They completed a visual working memory test, Delayed Matching to Sample Task (DMTS), before and after the SMR neurofeedback protocol in order to compare their visual working memory performance. Moreover, a 19-channels EEG was collected while they perform the DMTS pre- and post-training. The experimental group showed an improvement in their working memory performance after the training with similar activation power, mainly in theta and beta frequency band at frontal and alpha at temporal regions. The sham group showed some variations in the score of working memory after the training, but were not statistically significant and their power spectrum demonstrate enhancement in alpha and beta band frontal and temporal. The group that did not receive neurofeedback training did not show a change in their working memory performance, neither in their EEG spectrum. The results suggest that neurofeedback can benefit brain reserve in an aging population because individuals enhanced their working memory performance after training and have their EEG activation changed according to expected in working memory tasks.
View Full Paper →Neurofeedback as a Treatment for Impulsivity in a Forensic Psychiatric Population With Substance Use Disorder: Study Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Trial Combined With an N-of-1 Clinical Trial
Background: Impulsivity and substance use disorder (SUD) are strongly interconnected, with persons scoring high on impulsivity being more vulnerable to develop substance abuse, facing more challenges for successful treatment, and being more prone to engage in criminal behavior. Studies have shown that impulsivity and craving for substances are strongly correlated. Neurofeedback is an effective treatment to reduce impulsive behavior. This study intends to determine to what extent a neurofeedback-intervention that is aimed at reducing impulsivity can also reduce levels of craving in forensic patients with SUD and comorbid Axis I and/or II diagnoses. Objective: The main objective of this study is to investigate to what extent a reduction in impulsivity by a sensorimotor rhythm (SMR)-neurofeedback intervention will lead to a reduction in craving in a population of forensic psychiatric patients with a diagnosis of SUD. Methods: Participants will be male SUD patients with various comorbidities residing in an inpatient forensic treatment facility approached through treatment supervisors for participation. Participants have tested positive for drug use in the past 24 months. The study consists of 2 parts: a randomized controlled trial (RCT) and a n-of-1 clinical series. In the RCT, 50 patients will be randomly assigned to an intervention (n=25) or a control (n=25) condition. Patients in the intervention group will receive 20 SMR neurofeedback sessions aimed at reducing impulsivity; participants in the control group receive treatment-as-usual (TAU). Additionally, 4 in depth n-of-1 clinical trials will be conducted where effects of an SMR neurofeedback intervention will be compared to effects of sham neurofeedback. Results: Results of this study are expected by the end of 2017. Conclusions: This protocol describes the design of a study testing the effects of an impulsivity-based neurofeedback protocol among forensic patients with SUD and various comorbidities. We expect a significant reduction in impulsive behavior, level of craving, and actual drug-use for participants receiving the SMR neurofeedback protocol. The n-of-1 approach might help to explain effects possibly found in the RCT study since it allows for a more direct focus on treatment effects by following participants more closely and thereby being able to directly attribute behavioral and neurophysiological change to the SMR neurofeedback protocol employed. © Sandra Fielenbach, Franc CL Donkers, Marinus Spreen, Stefan Bogaerts. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (http://www.researchprotocols.org), 25.01.2017. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in JMIR Research Protocols, is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on http://www.researchprotocols.org, as well as this copyright and license information must be included.
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