Bakhtafrooz Safoura, Kavyani Maryam, Farsi Alireza, Alboghebeish Saeed
Department of Cognitive and Behavioral Science and Technology in Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
Front Hum Neurosci. 2025 Jan 22;19:1487737. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2025.1487737. eCollection 2025.
Neurofeedback (NF) typically involves an operant conditioning or other reinforcement protocol aimed at self-regulating patterns of brain activation. Endogenous Neuromodulation, characterized by the absence of discrete reinforcers, has emerged over the last two decades with the extension of training into the infra-low frequency regime, i.e., below 0.1 Hz. Specifically, Infra-Low Frequency (ILF) Neurofeedback training has demonstrated efficacy in enhancing the self-organization and regulation of the central nervous system in considerable generality. The present study explores a pivotal question: Can Infra-Low Frequency (ILF) Neurofeedback, acknowledged for its influence on arousal, vigilance, and emotional states, effectively enhance both attention generally and shooting performance specifically? Additionally, we explored whether the training exerted beneficial effects on three attentional networks-Conflict, Orienting, and Alerting.
To assess shooting performance, we employed the Shooter's Coordination Analysis Target Training (SCATT), while attention networks were gauged through the Attention Network Test (ANT). Twenty semi-skilled pistol shooters, aged 28-40, underwent both the ANT and SCATT assessments before and after completing 20 half-hour ILF-Neurofeedback sessions. The participants were randomly assigned to two groups: an ILF NFB group, which underwent 20 sessions of ILF NFB training, and a control group that received no NFB.
Our findings revealed that ILF-Neurofeedback significantly enhanced performance. In the ANT, the training led to a reduction in Conflict and an increase in Orienting and Alerting.
The study demonstrates the effectiveness of ILF-Neurofeedback in improving shooting performance, and in positively impacting all three attention networks assessed by the ANT.
神经反馈（NF）通常涉及一种操作性条件反射或其他强化方案，旨在自我调节大脑激活模式。内源性神经调节的特点是不存在离散强化物，在过去二十年中随着训练扩展到超低频范围（即低于0.1赫兹）而出现。具体而言，超低频（ILF）神经反馈训练已在相当普遍的情况下证明了其在增强中枢神经系统的自组织和调节方面的功效。本研究探讨了一个关键问题：以其对唤醒、警觉和情绪状态的影响而闻名的超低频（ILF）神经反馈，能否有效提高一般注意力，特别是射击表现？此外，我们还探讨了该训练是否对三个注意力网络——冲突、定向和警觉产生了有益影响。
为了评估射击表现，我们采用了射手协调分析目标训练（SCATT），而注意力网络则通过注意力网络测试（ANT）进行测量。20名年龄在28 - 40岁之间的半熟练手枪射手在完成20次半小时的ILF神经反馈训练前后，分别接受了ANT和SCATT评估。参与者被随机分为两组：一组是接受20次ILF神经反馈训练的ILF NFB组，另一组是未接受神经反馈的对照组。
我们的研究结果表明，ILF神经反馈显著提高了表现。在ANT测试中，训练导致冲突减少，定向和警觉增加。
该研究证明了ILF神经反馈在提高射击表现以及对ANT评估的所有三个注意力网络产生积极影响方面的有效性。
