Neurophenomenology and neurofeedback: a pilot study

Neurofeedback training and cognitive performance: a pilot study using an integrated cognitive and phenomenological approach

By Eddy J Davelaar

The presentation introduced a novel approach to neurofeedback, called neurophenomenology. It utilizes a questionnaire of mental and emotional state, accompanied by an interview. This approach is meant to address the issue of identifying non-responding subjects of neurofeedback. It’s core function was the usage of qualitative data, instead of the traditional quantitative, by means of natural language clustering. Furthermore, the speaker presented an integration (not mixing) of quantitative and qualitative data in order to identify non-responders. Concluding, proper analysis of qualitative data is a promising method for improving the quality of research protocols.

The discussion wondered around the meaning of alpha band amplitude as an indicator of cognitive activation and  the sensitivity of the results to the electrode that was selected (Fz).

 

Upper alpha-EEG/EMG training efficiency depends on menstrual cycle

By Ekaterina D Nikolenko

It was an extremely interesting study on the effects of menstrual cycle on brain function, cortical oscillation amplitude and phychophysiological changes. The question at hand is identifying the effect of menstrual cycle on NF efficiency and the selection of the optimum phase of the cycle for Neurofeedback intervention on female subjects.

 

Combining fMRI neurofeedback with an event-related paradigm to investigate inhibitory memory control

By Tibor Auer

The speaker presented a challenging new approach on fMRI neurofeedback. The study was very demanding since it incorporated two distinct processing methods, an online and an offline, namely an even related TNT paradigm and fMRI neurofeedback. In addition to this challenge, a redefinition of ROIs based on anatomy was also required in order to extract the BOLD of the hippocampus. The key factor of overcoming most of the challenges was a prototype computer network that allowed a significant improvement of fMRI temporal precision. On top of all these, an elegant study design was implemented that incorporated, alongside the real NF intervention, a specially designed sham NF, a passive and active control group.

The discussion was focused on the time consumed for this study to be completed and the very promising future work that is planned.