Self-regulation of stress-related large-scale brain network balance using real-time fMRI Neurofeedback

Abstract

It has recently been shown that acute stress affects the allocation of neural resources between large-scale brain networks, and the balance between the executive control network and the salience network in particular. Maladaptation of this dynamic resource reallocation process is thought to play a major role in stress-related psychopathology, suggesting that stress resilience may be determined by the retained ability to adaptively reallocate neural resources between these two networks. Actively training this ability could hence be a potentially promising way to increase resilience in individuals at risk for developing stress-related symptomatology. Using real-time functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, the current study investigated whether individuals can learn to self-regulate stress-related large-scale network balance. Participants were engaged in a bidirectional and implicit real-time fMRI neurofeedback paradigm in which they were intermittently provided with a visual representation of the difference signal between the average activation of the salience and executive control networks, and tasked with attempting to self-regulate this signal. Our results show that, given feedback about their performance over three training sessions, participants were able to (1) learn strategies to differentially control the balance between SN and ECN activation on demand, as well as (2) successfully transfer this newly learned skill to a situation where they (a) did not receive any feedback anymore, and (b) were exposed to an acute stressor in form of the prospect of a mild electric stimulation. The current study hence constitutes an important first successful demonstration of neurofeedback training based on stress-related large-scale network balance - a novel approach that has the potential to train control over the central response to stressors in real-life and could build the foundation for future clinical interventions that aim at increasing resilience.

Olfactory Imagery and Emotional Control

“…Participants in such studies were able to change neuronal processing within the insula, but the precise mechanism by which this was accomplished is still unknown. It has been demonstrated in normal subjects [49] as well as in a small group of patients with a psychopathic disorder [50]. The anterior insula was clearly regulated by one criminal psychopathic individual.…”

“…More recently, a groundbreaking approach to treating chronic pain has been advanced, whereby patients seek to willfully activate a particular brain region while receiving real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging. It was shown that participants could voluntarily self-activate the cingulate and insula using real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (rtf-MRI) and that such activation resulted in pain reduction [48] as well as a better balance between stress-involved brain structures [49]. It was clear that when given feedback about their performance with rtf-MRI, participants were able to learn a strategy to control their minds.…”

Retrieving fMRI data in real-time: difficulties and pitfalls

“…As mentioned beforehand a reporting of these transfer and processing times would help to get more insights is the spread of the problem. In a variety of publications (Hampson et al, 2011;Hellrung et al, 2018;Krause et al, 2021;Marxen et al, 2016) a similar method for the direct data transfer are mentioned allowing to argue in both ways that the potential consequences are not as strong since solutions were already in place.…”