Centre de Recherche en Neuropsychologie et Cognition (CERNEC), Département de Psychologie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada.
Clin EEG Neurosci. 2013 Oct;44(4):265-72. doi: 10.1177/1550059413476031. Epub 2013 Mar 26.
The main objective of this structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study was to investigate, using diffusion tensor imaging, whether a neurofeedback training (NFT) protocol designed to improve sustained attention might induce structural changes in white matter (WM) pathways, purportedly implicated in this cognitive ability. Another goal was to examine whether gray matter (GM) volume (GMV) might be altered following NFT in frontal and parietal cortical areas connected by these WM fiber pathways. Healthy university students were randomly assigned to an experimental group (EXP), a sham group, or a control group. Participants in the EXP group were trained to enhance the amplitude of their β1 waves at F4 and P4. Measures of attentional performance and MRI data were acquired one week before (Time 1) and one week after (Time 2) NFT. Higher scores on visual and auditory sustained attention were noted in the EXP group at Time 2 (relative to Time 1). As for structural MRI data, increased fractional anisotropy was measured in WM pathways implicated in sustained attention, and GMV increases were detected in cerebral structures involved in this type of attention. After 50 years of research in the field of neurofeedback, our study constitutes the first empirical demonstration that NFT can lead to microstructural changes in white and gray matter.
本结构磁共振成像 (MRI) 研究的主要目的是使用弥散张量成像来研究，旨在改善持续性注意力的神经反馈训练 (NFT) 方案是否可能引起与这种认知能力有关的白质 (WM) 通路的结构变化。另一个目标是检查在 NFT 后，通过这些 WM 纤维通路连接的额皮质和顶皮质区域的灰质 (GM) 体积 (GMV) 是否会发生变化。健康的大学生被随机分配到实验组 (EXP)、假训练组或对照组。EXP 组的参与者接受了旨在增强 F4 和 P4 处β1 波振幅的训练。在 NFT 前一周（时间 1）和后一周（时间 2）采集注意力表现和 MRI 数据。在时间 2（相对于时间 1），EXP 组在视觉和听觉持续性注意力方面的得分更高。至于结构 MRI 数据，在与持续性注意力有关的 WM 通路中测量到了更高的各向异性分数，并且在涉及这种注意力的大脑结构中检测到了 GMV 的增加。经过 50 年的神经反馈研究，我们的研究首次证明了 NFT 可以导致白质和灰质的微观结构变化。
