Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, P.O. Box 85500, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Department of Neurosurgery, Elisabeth-TweeSteden Hospital, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2018 Nov;28(11):1194-1205. doi: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2018.08.508. Epub 2018 Sep 11.
It has been postulated that gaining control over activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), a key region of the working memory brain network, may be beneficial for cognitive performance and treatment of certain psychiatric disorders. Several studies have reported that, with neurofeedback training, subjects can learn to increase DLPFC activity. However, improvement of dynamic control in terms of switching between low and high activity in DLPFC brain states may potentially constitute more effective self-regulation. Here, we report on feasibility of obtaining dynamic control over DLPFC, meaning the ability to both in- and decrease activity at will, within a single functional MRI scan session. Two groups of healthy volunteers (N = 24) were asked to increase and decrease activity in the left DLPFC as often as possible during fMRI scans (at 7 Tesla), while receiving real-time visual feedback. The experimental group practiced with real-time feedback, whereas the control group received sham feedback. The experimental group significantly increased the speed of intentionally alternating DLPFC activity, while performance of the control group did not change. Analysis of the characteristics of the BOLD signal during successful trials revealed that training with neurofeedback predominantly reduced the time for the DLPFC to return to baseline after activation. These results provide a preliminary indication that people may be able to learn to dynamically down-regulate the level of physiological activity in the DLPFC, and may have implications for psychiatric disorders where DLPFC plays a role.
有人假设，控制大脑工作记忆网络关键区域背外侧前额叶皮层（DLPFC）的活动可能对认知表现和某些精神疾病的治疗有益。有几项研究报告称，通过神经反馈训练，受试者可以学会增加 DLPFC 的活动。然而，改善 DLPFC 脑状态的低活动与高活动之间的动态控制，可能构成更有效的自我调节。在这里，我们报告了在单次功能磁共振成像扫描过程中获得 DLPFC 动态控制的可行性，即能够在自愿的情况下增加和减少活动的能力。两组健康志愿者（N=24）被要求在 fMRI 扫描期间（在 7 Tesla 下）尽可能频繁地增加和减少左 DLPFC 的活动，同时接受实时视觉反馈。实验组接受实时反馈训练，而对照组则接受假反馈。实验组显著提高了 DLPFC 活动的交替速度，而对照组的表现没有变化。对成功试验中 BOLD 信号特征的分析表明，神经反馈训练主要减少了 DLPFC 在激活后恢复到基线所需的时间。这些结果初步表明，人们可能能够学会动态地下调 DLPFC 中生理活动的水平，这可能对 DLPFC 发挥作用的精神疾病有影响。
