On the Mechanisms of the Feedback Control of Human Brain-Wave Activity

Alpha Neurofeedback Training for Performance Enhancement: Reviewing the Methodology

“…The majority of unidirectional training has been aimed at encouraging participants to learn to enhance alpha (e.g., Angelakis et al, 2007;Bazanova et al, 2007;Cho et al, 2008;Fell et al, 2002), which some suggest is more preferable for participants than inhibiting it (Kamiya, 1969;Lynch et al, 1974). However, inhibiting alpha may be easier than enhancing it (Lynch & Paskewitz, 1971;Paskewitz & Orne, 1973;Peper & Mulholland, 1970;Prewett & Adams, 1976) although findings have been inconsistent (see, e.g., Regestein et al, 1973). Nevertheless, adopting a unidirectional approach that involves isolated training sessions either enhancing or inhibiting alpha may be less effective than a bidirectional training regime, which incorporates both enhancement and suppression, for at least two possible reasons.…”

“…It has been known for some time that alpha occurs predominantly in the parietal region, has been recorded with average amplitudes ranging 30-50 mV (Kamiya, 1968;Lynch & Paskewitz, 1971), and can be seen in the majority (90%) of the population when resting with eyes closed (Drennen & O'Reilly, 1986) and that opening the eyes can reduce the amount of alpha by 80% or more (Wacker, 1996). However, identifying the specific frequency range of the alpha component of the EEG seems less certain.…”

The Psychobiology of Consciousness

“…Brown, 1970Brown, , 1971Nowlis & Kamiya, 1970) and became widely accepted, with, however, little critical consideration of the data on which the conclusions were based. Many of the relevant issues in regard to the alpha state have been raised in other articles in recent years (e.g., Lynch & Paskewitz, 1971;Plotkin, 1976; Plotkin Plotkin, Mazer, & Loewy, 1976;Travis et al, 1975;Walsh, 1974), and the details are beyond the scope of the present paper. To recapitulate briefly, the conclusions to be drawn from these various studies is that the alpha experience is not linearly related to PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MODEL OF MEDITATION 367 alpha strength in the EEG but is determined by the interaction of several factors including (a) the subject's expectations; (b) the instructions given; and (c) the demand characteristics of the situation.…”

“…Data are accumulating for different response systems which suggests that any control gained by making a previously unconscious process conscious through external feedback, does not typically extend beyond the normal range of variation in the particular response system in question. Thus, in the area of alpha electrocortical feedback, recent evidence indicates that subjects cannot generate more occipital alpha after feedback training than when asked to simply close their eyes in a dark and quiet environment (Lynch & Paskewitz, 1971;Orne & Paskewitz, 1974). The control acquired over the course of feedback training enables subjects to turn on and off alpha on command and to reach baseline levels (i.e., levels of alpha abundance associated with simply resting with eyes closed) of alpha production.…”

Effects of Alpha Feedback Training on Occipital EEG, Heart Rate, and Experiential Reactivity to a Laboratory Stressor

“…It has been suggested (Lynch & Paskewitz, 1971;Wlulholland, 1968;Paskewitz & Ome, 1973) that the process by which alpha feedback training may enhance EEG alpha density is not via learning per se, but rather, by facilitating the reduction of sensory and cognitive stimuli which normally tend to suppress alpha activity. Furthermore, it has been argued (Lynch & Paskewitz, 1971) that feedbackenhanced alpha density cannot exceed the naturally occurring maximum level observed in non-feedback situations where alpha blocking stimuli are minimized. Therefore, to distinguish feedback-specific effects from simple sensory and/or cognitive adaptation effects alpha density was examined both during training and in an aversive shock situation.…”