Structural and functional connectivity changes in response to short-term neurofeedback training with motor imagery

Marins, Theo; Rodrigues, Elisa da Conceição; Bortolini, Tiago; Melo, Bruno; Moll, Jorge; Tovar‐Moll, Fernanda

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.03.027

Cited by 52 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…In line with the few previous DTI studies investigating NFrelated white matter changes [26][27][28], we found increased white matter integrity in NF responders. While Ghaziri et al [28] were the first to demonstrate increased FA in white matter pathways implicated in attention after a NF-attention training, another study reported NF-specific increases in white matter integrity within the SMN after motor imagery NF training [26]. Both studies investigated healthy individuals, but increases in thalamo-cortical FA were also observed Fig.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Before the first NF training session, the therapist prepared, instructed, and trained the patients in how to use the NF system at the patients' home. During NF training, patients received visual feedback of their own SMR power (12-15 Hz), theta power (4-7 Hz), and beta power (21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35). The goal was to increase SMR power above and to keep theta and beta power below these thresholds.…”

Section: Neurofeedback Training and Eeg Data Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

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MRI correlates of cognitive improvement after home-based EEG neurofeedback training in patients with multiple sclerosis: a pilot study

et al. 2021

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Objective Neurofeedback training may improve cognitive function in patients with neurological disorders. However, the underlying cerebral mechanisms of such improvements are poorly understood. Therefore, we aimed to investigate MRI correlates of cognitive improvement after EEG-based neurofeedback training in patients with MS (pwMS). Methods Fourteen pwMS underwent ten neurofeedback training sessions within 3–4 weeks at home using a tele-rehabilitation system. Half of the pwMS (N = 7, responders) learned to self-regulate sensorimotor rhythm (SMR, 12–15 Hz) by visual feedback and improved cognitively after training, whereas the remainder (non-responders, n = 7) did not. Diffusion-tensor imaging and resting-state fMRI of the brain was performed before and after training. We analyzed fractional anisotropy (FA) and functional connectivity (FC) of the default-mode, sensorimotor (SMN) and salience network (SAL). Results At baseline, responders and non-responders were comparable regarding sex, age, education, disease duration, physical and cognitive impairment, and MRI parameters. After training, compared to non-responders, responders showed increased FA and FC within the SAL and SMN. Cognitive improvement correlated with increased FC in SAL and a correlation trend with increased FA was observed. Conclusions This exploratory study suggests that successful neurofeedback training may not only lead to cognitive improvement, but also to increases in brain microstructure and functional connectivity.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Neurofeedback Training and Eeg Data Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

MRI correlates of cognitive improvement after home-based EEG neurofeedback training in patients with multiple sclerosis: a pilot study

et al. 2021

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“…In humans, studies using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) have shown that both long-term and short-term learning changes the structure of white matter pathways (Scholz et al, 2009;Hofstetter et al, 2013). Most NF studies have focused on behavioural and functional brain effects, and only two, including a EEG-NF study, have assessed NF effects on the structure of long-range connections (Ghaziri et al, 2013;Marins et al, 2019). While DTI-derived measures such as fractional anisotropy (FA) are nonspecific and modulated by a variety of white matter features, changes in white matter with learning and experience have been related in part to myelin increases in rodents (Sampaio-Baptista et al, 2013;Sampaio-Baptista et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neurofeedback fMRI in the motor system elicits bi-directional changes in activity and white-matter structure in the healthy adult human brain

Sampaio‐Baptista

Neyedli

Sanders

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Neurofeedback can be used to alter brain activity and is therefore an attractive tool for neuromodulation in clinical contexts. Different contexts might call for different patterns of activity modulation. For example, following stroke, alternative therapeutic strategies could involve up or down-regulation of activity in the ipsilateral motor cortex. However, effects of such strategies on activity and brain structure are unknown. In a proof of concept study in healthy individuals, we showed that fMRI neurofeedback can be used to drive activity up or down in ipsilateral motor cortex during hand movement. Given evidence for activitydependent white matter plasticity, we also tested effects of activity modulation on white matter microstructure using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). We show rapid opposing changes in corpus callosum microstructure that depend on the direction of activity modulation. Bidirectional modulation of ipsilateral motor cortex activity is therefore possible, and results not only in online changes in activity patterns, but also in changes in microstructure detectable 24 hours later.

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“…The effectiveness of motor imagery is related to traininginduced neuroplasticity, as the brain has the capacity to adapt to both internal and external stimuli (Merzenich et al, 2014;Marins et al, 2019). Mental training, as well as physical training, is a stimulus that can induce activity-dependent neuroplasticity (Di Rienzo et al, 2014;Ballesteros et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Motor Imagery Training of Reaching-to-Grasp Movement Supplemented by a Virtual Environment in an Individual With Congenital Bilateral Transverse Upper-Limb Deficiency

et al. 2021

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This study explored the effect of kinesthetic motor imagery training on reaching-to-grasp movement supplemented by a virtual environment in a patient with congenital bilateral transverse upper-limb deficiency. Based on a theoretical assumption, it is possible to conduct such training in this patient. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether cortical activity related to motor imagery of reaching and motor imagery of grasping of the right upper limb was changed by computer-aided imagery training (CAIT) in a patient who was born without upper limbs compared to a healthy control subject, as characterized by multi-channel electroencephalography (EEG) signals recorded before and 4, 8, and 12 weeks after CAIT. The main task during CAIT was to kinesthetically imagine the execution of reaching-to-grasp movements without any muscle activation, supplemented by computer visualization of movements provided by a special headset. Our experiment showed that CAIT can be conducted in the patient with higher vividness of imagery for reaching than grasping tasks. Our results confirm that CAIT can change brain activation patterns in areas related to motor planning and the execution of reaching and grasping movements, and that the effect was more pronounced in the patient than in the healthy control subject. The results show that CAIT has a different effect on the cortical activity related to the motor imagery of a reaching task than on the cortical activity related to the motor imagery of a grasping task. The change observed in the activation patterns could indicate CAIT-induced neuroplasticity, which could potentially be useful in rehabilitation or brain-computer interface purposes for such patients, especially before and after transplantation. This study was part of a registered experiment (ID: NCT04048083).

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Structural and functional connectivity changes in response to short-term neurofeedback training with motor imagery

Cited by 52 publications

References 67 publications

MRI correlates of cognitive improvement after home-based EEG neurofeedback training in patients with multiple sclerosis: a pilot study

MRI correlates of cognitive improvement after home-based EEG neurofeedback training in patients with multiple sclerosis: a pilot study

Neurofeedback fMRI in the motor system elicits bi-directional changes in activity and white-matter structure in the healthy adult human brain

Motor Imagery Training of Reaching-to-Grasp Movement Supplemented by a Virtual Environment in an Individual With Congenital Bilateral Transverse Upper-Limb Deficiency

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