Vernon, David and Egner, Tobias and Cooper, Nicholas R and Compton, Theresa and Neilands, Claire and Sheri, Amna and Gruzelier, John (2003) The effect of training distinct neurofeedback protocols on aspects of cognitive performance. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 47 (1). pp. 75-85. DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/s0167-8760(02)00091-0
Vernon, David and Egner, Tobias and Cooper, Nicholas R and Compton, Theresa and Neilands, Claire and Sheri, Amna and Gruzelier, John (2003) The effect of training distinct neurofeedback protocols on aspects of cognitive performance. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 47 (1). pp. 75-85. DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/s0167-8760(02)00091-0
Vernon, David and Egner, Tobias and Cooper, Nicholas R and Compton, Theresa and Neilands, Claire and Sheri, Amna and Gruzelier, John (2003) The effect of training distinct neurofeedback protocols on aspects of cognitive performance. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 47 (1). pp. 75-85. DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/s0167-8760(02)00091-0
Abstract
The use of neurofeedback as an operant conditioning paradigm has disclosed that participants are able to gain some control over particular aspects of their electroencephalogram (EEG). Based on the association between theta activity (4-7 Hz) and working memory performance, and sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) activity (12-15 Hz) and attentional processing, we investigated the possibility that training healthy individuals to enhance either of these frequencies would specifically influence a particular aspect of cognitive performance, relative to a non-neurofeedback control-group. The results revealed that after eight sessions of neurofeedback the SMR-group were able to selectively enhance their SMR activity, as indexed by increased SMR/theta and SMR/beta ratios. In contrast, those trained to selectively enhance theta activity failed to exhibit any changes in their EEG. Furthermore, the SMR-group exhibited a significant and clear improvement in cued recall performance, using a semantic working memory task, and to a lesser extent showed improved accuracy of focused attentional processing using a 2-sequence continuous performance task. This suggests that normal healthy individuals can learn to increase a specific component of their EEG activity, and that such enhanced activity may facilitate semantic processing in a working memory task and to a lesser extent focused attention. We discuss possible mechanisms that could mediate such effects and indicate a number of directions for future research.
Item Type: | Article |
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Uncontrolled Keywords: | Adult; Analysis of Variance; Attention; Biofeedback, Psychology; Cognition; Electroencephalography; Female; Humans; Male; Mental Recall |
Subjects: | B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC0321 Neuroscience. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry |
Divisions: | Faculty of Science and Health Faculty of Science and Health > Psychology, Department of |
SWORD Depositor: | Unnamed user with email elements@essex.ac.uk |
Depositing User: | Unnamed user with email elements@essex.ac.uk |
Date Deposited: | 29 Jan 2015 13:28 |
Last Modified: | 30 Oct 2024 15:52 |
URI: | http://repository.essex.ac.uk/id/eprint/12450 |