Allen J J, Harmon-Jones E, Cavender J H
Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson 85721-0068, USA.
Psychophysiology. 2001 Jul;38(4):685-93.
Individual differences in resting asymmetrical frontal brain activity have been found to predict subsequent emotional responses. The question of whether frontal brain asymmetry can cause emotional responses has yet to be addressed. Biofeedback training designed to alter the asymmetry of frontal brain activity was therefore examined. Eighteen right-handed female participants were randomly assigned to receive biofeedback training designed to increase right frontal alpha relative to left frontal alpha (n = 9) or to receive training in the opposite direction (n = 9). Five consecutive days of biofeedback training provided signals of reward or nonreward depending on whether the difference between right (F4) and left (F3) frontal alpha exceeded a criterion value in the specified direction. Systematic alterations of frontal EEG asymmetry were observed as a function of biofeedback training. Moreover, subsequent self-reported affect and facial muscle activity in response to emotionally evocative film clips were influenced by the direction of biofeedback training.
研究发现，静息状态下额叶脑活动的个体差异能够预测随后的情绪反应。然而，额叶脑不对称是否能够引发情绪反应这一问题尚未得到解决。因此，研究人员对旨在改变额叶脑活动不对称性的生物反馈训练进行了考察。18名右利手女性参与者被随机分配，一组接受旨在增加右侧额叶阿尔法波相对于左侧额叶阿尔法波的生物反馈训练（n = 9），另一组接受相反方向的训练（n = 9）。连续五天的生物反馈训练根据右侧（F4）和左侧（F3）额叶阿尔法波之间的差异是否在指定方向上超过标准值来提供奖励或无奖励信号。观察到额叶脑电图不对称性随生物反馈训练而发生系统性变化。此外，随后对情绪诱发电影片段的自我报告情感和面部肌肉活动受到生物反馈训练方向影响。
