The Effect of Alpha Neurofeedback Training on Cognitive Performance in Healthy Adults

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of long-term alpha neurofeedback training (NFT) in healthy adults using music stimuli. The optimal protocol for future research is presented in this study. The data from 40 healthy participants, divided into two groups (NFT group and Control group), were analyzed in the current study. We found a significantly enhanced alpha rhythm after training in the NFT group which was not observed in the control group. The immediate subsequent effects were greater in more than 80% of the sessions from the initial recordings. Stroop task and behavioral questionnaires, mini-mental state exam (MMSE), and perceived stress scale (PSS) did not reveal any training-specific changes. Within-training session effects were significant from the baseline and were more pronounced at the beginning of the session as compared to the end of the session. It is also observed that a shorter session length with multiple sessions may be more effective than a long and continuous run of a single session.

Mental strategies and resting state EEG: Effect on high alpha amplitude modulation by neurofeedback in healthy young adults

“…The different methods used may thus introduce bias or render comparison between studies difficult (Chiang et al, 2008;Corcoran et al, 2018;Goljahani et al, 2012). In the field of NFB, studies target both the IAF (Alexeeva et al, 2012 ;Bazanova et al, 2013 ;Bobby & Prakash, 2017 ;Escolano et al, 2014 ;Grosselin et al, 2021 ;Hanslmayr et al, 2005 ;Nan et al, 2012 ;Wan et al, 2014 ;Zoefel et al, 2011) and the standard alpha frequency (Berger & Davelaar, 2018 ;Biswas & Ray, 2019 ;Bobby & Prakash, 2017 ;Brickwedde et al, 2019 ;Cho et al, 2008 ;Chow et al, 2017 ;Dekker et al, 2014 ;Guez et al, 2015 ;Hsueh et al, 2016 ;Lee et al, 2019 ;Nan et al, 2013 ;Nan et al, 2020 ;Naas et al, 2019 ;Nawaz et al, 2022 ;Peeters et al, 2014 ;Peng et al, 2020 ;Ros et al, 2010 ;Ros et al, 2013 ;Su et al, 2021 ;Takabatake et al, 2021 ;Wei et al, 2017). The advantage of IAF over standard alpha frequency, however, has still little empirical validation.…”

Evaluation of a manualised neurofeedback training in psychosomatic-psychotherapeutic outpatient treatment (Neuro-pp-out): study protocol for a clinical mixed-methods pilot study

“…Main inclusion and exclusion criteria were set in line with comparable studies in NFB research 12 13 15–17. Patients will be included if they have a confirmed mental health disorder that is commonly treated in specialised psychosomatic outpatient clinics in Germany (ie, depression, eating disorder, somatoform disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder) and are aged between 18 and 75 years, due to usual operationalisation criteria.…”

“…14 Moreover, cognitive abilities such as reaction time, cognitive control and selective attention could also be improved in healthy patients by training the alpha band. 15 While theta reduction can be used to improve attention skill, 16 the high-beta band is associated with stress experience. 17 Therefore, the reduction of high-beta frequencies reduces the perception of stress.…”

“…In addition, an increase in alpha band frequency was associated with an increased ability to relax 14. Moreover, cognitive abilities such as reaction time, cognitive control and selective attention could also be improved in healthy patients by training the alpha band 15. While theta reduction can be used to improve attention skill,16 the high-beta band is associated with stress experience 17.…”

Feasibility of a novel neurofeedback system: a parallel randomized single-blinded pilot study

“…The majority of NF studies use regular EEG caps for data acquisition but the number of papers featuring portable headsets is increasing. The most frequently used devices are the Emotiv EPOC 22 – 25 , InteraXon Muse 26 – 28 , and NeuroSky MindWave 29 , 30 headsets. Common properties of these devices are the limited number of working electrodes (EPOC: 14, Muse: 5, MindWave: 1) and that these electrodes do not require the use of additional conductive substances (besides saline, at most) for proper functioning.…”