Sensori-motor neurofeedback improves inhibitory control and induces neural changes: a placebo-controlled, double-blind, event-related potentials study

• Clémence Dousset ^[1] ; Florent Wyckmans ^[1] ; Thibaut Monseigne ^[2] ; Lauréline Fourdin ^[1] ; Romane Boulanger ^[1] ; Sonia Sistiaga ^[1] ; Anaïs Ingels ^[1] ; Hendrik Kajosch ^[1] ; Xavier Noël ^[1] ; Charles Kornreich ^[1] ; Salvatore Campanella ^[1]
  1. [1] Université Libre de Bruxelles

     Université Libre de Bruxelles

     Arrondissement Brussel-Hoofdstad, Bélgica

     
  2. [2] University of Bordeaux

     University of Bordeaux

     Arrondissement de Bordeaux, Francia

     
• Localización: International journal of clinical and health psychology, ISSN 1697-2600, Vol. 24, Nº. 3, 2024, págs. 291-300
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Background/Objective Inhibition is crucial for controlling behavior and is impaired in various psychopathologies. Neurofeedback holds promise in addressing cognitive deficits, and experimental research is essential for identifying its functional benefits. This study aimed to investigate whether boosting sensorimotor activity (SMR) improves inhibitory control in a final sample of healthy individuals (N = 53), while exploring the underlying neurophysiological mechanism.

    Method Participants were randomly divided into two groups: one receiving SMR neurofeedback training to enhance sensorimotor activity within the 12–15 Hz frequency range, and the other receiving sham feedback. Inhibition performance and neural correlates were evaluated with a Go-NoGo task before (T0) and after (T1) 10 neurofeedback sessions using event-related potentials. Data were analyzed via ANOVAs and regression analyses.

    Results Compared to placebo, the active group demonstrated higher absolute SMR power (p = 0.040) and improvements in inhibitory control, including faster response times and fewer inhibition errors (p < 0.001, d = 6.06), associated with a larger NoGoP3d amplitude (p < 0.001, d = 3.35). A positive correlation between the increase in SMR power and the rise in NoGoP3d amplitude (β=0.46, p = 0.015) explains 21 % of the observed variance.

    Conclusions Uptraining SMR power is linked to heightened utilization of neural resources for executing optimal inhibition responses. These results uphold its effectiveness in cognitive rehabilitation.