The Effect of Beta and Alpha Neurofeedback on Memory: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Sham-Controlled, Clinical Trial

Farnia, Samaneh; Abedi-Darzi, Saleh; Fattahi, Samineh; Charati, Jamshid Yazdani; Motamedi, Maryam; Bakhshian, Fresheteh; Mansoori, Parisa

doi:10.5812/ijpbs.7431

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 37 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The most common protocol found for enhancing working memory was the up-regulation of Alpha power rhythm (Hsueh et al, 2016; Pei et al, 2018; Wei et al, 2017). The second most common protocol is Beta and Alpha rhythm (Farnia et al, 2017; Jirayucharoensak et al, 2019), which can be followed by low alpha/high alpha ratio suppression (Farnia et al, 2017). Alpha and theta (Reis et al, 2016) and SMR rhythm (Campos da Paz et al, 2018) up-regulation protocols were also found to WM improvement.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although EEG-NFB received critiques for the poor description of protocols in the past (Vernon-et al, 2004), the researches of the past 6 years have shown an improvement on this methodological aspect since non-specific factors and placebo effects are taken more into account through SHAM groups (Campos da Paz et al, 2018; Engelbregt et al, 2016; Farnia et al, 2017; Gadea et al, 2016; Jirayucharoensak et al, 2019; Jurewicz et al, 2018; Mehran et al, 2015; Reis et al, 2016; Wei et al, 2017). Moreover, the modality of feedback, type of reward, number and placement of electrodes, and duration and number of sessions were carefully described, and this is considered a positive methodological aspect.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Neurofeedback training for cognitive performance improvement in healthy subjects: A systematic review.

Silva¹,

Souza²

2021

Psychology & Neuroscience

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Neurofeedback (NFB) is a technique based on the principle of operant conditioning. It consists of modeling brain activity patterns to those considered to be deleterious to the organism to improve cognitive performance. Objective: This systematic review aims to present the neurofeedback field overview and results of empirical studies that tested the effects of neurofeedback training on cognitive performance in healthy subjects. Method: A systematic review of neurofeedback studies to increase cognitive performance in healthy subjects available on the Web of Science, BVSalud, PsycINFO, Redalyc, and Scielo databases, published between 2014 and 2020, was carried out. Initially, 192 articles were localized, of which 47 articles were included in order to present the general field overview, 34 empirical studies were included to discuss protocols and outcomes, and 18 trials were included to describe between-subjects effect size. Results: A contemporary trend toward the use of neurofeedback as a tool to improve cognition besides rehabilitation in healthy young adults, older adults, athletes, and the elderly was observed. Neurofeedback training had a large effect on working memory (WM), mood, and sleep quality; a medium to large effect on executive functions; a general medium effect size alongside a wider variation from low to large effect on attention. Conclusions: Although neurofeedback training studies showed promising results, not all studies found significant changes in electroencephalogram (EEG) signals that seemed to be linked to behavioral tests. This raises the question of causality relation between changes in brain activity and behavioral outcomes. Public Significance StatementThe present study provides a systematic review of researches that tested the effects of neurofeedback training on cognitive performance in healthy subjects. There is a fertile contemporary trend toward the use of neurofeedback as a tool to improve cognition besides rehabilitation. Neurofeedback training has shown to be a useful technique to modulate brain activity as well as improve attention, working memory, mood, executive functions and sleep quality.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neurofeedback training for cognitive performance improvement in healthy subjects: A systematic review.

Silva¹,

Souza²

2021

Psychology & Neuroscience

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The results indicate a positive effect of the alpha NFT on memory. In addition, the control groups of most included studies (9 of 14 WM studies and 4 of 6 EM studies) (1 study with active neurofeedback (Pei et al, 2018), 2 studies with sham neurofeedback (Guez et al, 2014;Xiong et al, 2014), or 8 studies with silent feedback (Escolano et al, 2011;Lecomte and Juhel, 2011;Zoefel et al, 2011;Alekseeva et al, 2012;Reis et al, 2016;Farnia et al, 2017;Gordon et al, 2019;Naas et al, 2019) showed no memory change. Two active control groups showed significant improvement in WM and EM after training (Hsueh et al, 2016;Wei et al, 2017), and the alpha group of the two studies exhibited significant enhancement of WM and EM compared with the active control group.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neurofeedback of Alpha Activity on Memory in Healthy Participants: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Yeh

Hsueh

Shaw

2021

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Neurofeedback training (NFT) has recently been proposed as a valuable technique for cognitive enhancement and psychiatric amelioration. However, effect of NFT of alpha activity on memory is controversial. The current study analyzed previous works in terms of randomized and blinded analyses, training paradigms, and participant characteristics to validate the efficacy of alpha NFT on memory in a healthy population.Objectives: A systematic meta-analysis of studies with randomized controlled trials was performed to explore the effect of alpha NFT on working memory (WM) and episodic memory (EM) in a healthy population.Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library from January 1, 1999, to November 30, 2019. Previous studies were evaluated with the Cochrane risk of bias (RoB). A meta-analysis calculating absolute weighted standardized mean difference (SMD) using random-effects models was employed. Heterogeneity was estimated using I2 statistics. Funnel plots and Egger's test were performed to evaluate the quality of evidence.Results: Sixteen studies with 217 healthy participants in the control group and 210 participants in the alpha group met the eligibility criteria. Alpha NFT studies with WM measures presented little publication bias (P = 0.116), and 5 of 7 domains in the Cochrane RoB exhibited a low risk of bias. The overall effect size from 14 WM studies was 0.56 (95% CI 0.31–0.81, P < 0.0001; I2 = 28%). Six EM studies exhibited an effect size of 0.77 (95% CI 0.06–1.49, P = 0.03; I2 = 77%).Conclusion: Meta-analysis results suggest that alpha NFT seems to have a positive effect on the WM and EM of healthy participants. Future efforts should focus on the neurophysiological mechanisms of alpha NFT in memory.

show abstract

“…Thus, this protocol is quite appealing to the healthy population who would likely be the main initial users of multiuser neurofeedback. Alternatively, the frontal cortex has also been used for improving cognitive performances (Farnia et al 2017). While frontal locations have the advantage of better contact between the electrode and skin as typically this area has no hair, they are more prone to artifacts due to eye movement, blinking, and facial muscle activity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Winners and losers in brain computer interface competitive gaming: directional connectivity analysis

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective: to characterize the direction within and between brain connectivity in winning and losing players in a competitive brain-computer interface game. Approach: ten dyads (26.9 ± 4.7 years old, eight females and 12 males) participated in the study. In a competitive game based on neurofeedback, they used their relative alpha (RA) band power from the electrode location Pz, to control a virtual seesaw. The players in each pair were separated into winners (W) and losers (L) based on their scores. Intrabrain connectivity was analyzed using multivariate Granger Causality (GC) and Directed Transfer Function, while interbrain connectivity was analyzed using bivariate GC. Results: linear regression analysis revealed a significant relationship (p<0.05) between RA and individual scores. During the game, W players maintained a higher RA than L players, although it was not higher than their baseline RA. The analysis of intrabrain GC indicated that both groups engaged in general social interactions, but only the W group succeeded in controlling their brain activity at Pz. Group L applied an inappropriate metal strategy, characterized by strong activity in the left frontal cortex, indicative of collaborative gaming. Interbrain GC showed a larger flow of information from the L to the W group, suggesting a higher capability of the W group to monitor the activity of their opponent. Significance: both innate neurological indices and gaming mental strategies contribute to game outcomes. Future studies should investigate whether there is a causal relationship between these two factors.

show abstract

The Effect of Beta and Alpha Neurofeedback on Memory: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Sham-Controlled, Clinical Trial

Abstract: Background: Neurofeedback training is a promising area of research in cognitive performance. Although diverse patterns of frequency in improving memory performance have been studied, beta up-training and low alpha/high alpha ratio suppression have not yet been studied.

Cited by 5 publications

References 37 publications

Neurofeedback training for cognitive performance improvement in healthy subjects: A systematic review.

Neurofeedback training for cognitive performance improvement in healthy subjects: A systematic review.

Neurofeedback of Alpha Activity on Memory in Healthy Participants: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Winners and losers in brain computer interface competitive gaming: directional connectivity analysis

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About