Effects of SMR and Theta/Beta Neurofeedback on Reaction Times, Spatial Abilities, and Creativity

Abstract

Neurofeedback training (NFT) has been demonstrated to be a useful, inexpensive, nonpharmacological tool in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and epilepsy in humans. Different neurofeedback training protocols have been associated with positive effects on performance in sports, creativity, memory, and simple reaction time tasks. During NFT, individuals receive visual or acoustic feedback of their brain oscillations, which are recorded by electroencephalogram (EEG). Through operant conditioning that employs this feedback, the individuals subsequently may be able to modulate the respective oscillations. The most widely used training protocols focus on either the enhancement of the sensorimotor rhythm (SMR; 12-15 Hz) or modulation of the theta/beta ratio (TBR; theta: 4.5-7.5 Hz, beta: 17-21 Hz). We investigated whether healthy individuals are able to learn, within 30 NFT sessions, how to modulate either the SMR (n ¼ 13) or the TBR (n ¼ 14), and whether such modulation can lead to an enhancement in different cognitive or creative tasks. A control group (n ¼ 14) that received NFT with daily changing frequency bands and instructions was included for comparison. Although neither the TBR group nor the control group was able to modulate the EEG in the trained frequency bands, the SMR group was successful in doing so. In addition, only the SMR group was able to attain significantly better results in simple and choice reaction time tasks and a spatial rotation task after training as compared to the two other groups. No effects of NFT were found for the other attention-related tasks or for creative tasks. A series of 30 SMR training sessions can increase the ability to increase SMR amplitudes and therefore may have a future application in settings where the cultivation of fast reactions and good visuospatial abilities are relevant (e.g., in sports).

Higher power of sensorimotor rhythm is associated with better performance in skilled air-pistol shooters

“…For example, Egner and Gruzelier (2001) observed, after SMR NFT, an increased P300b amplitude at frontal, central, and parietal sites in the auditory oddball task, as well as reductions in commission errors and reaction time variability on the Test of Variables of Attention. Similarly, Doppelmayr and Weber (2011) demonstrated that participants exhibited improved performance on spatial rotation, simple, and choice reaction time tasks, suggesting advanced visuospatial ability after augmented SMR NFT. Augmented SMR NFT also improved the memory and attentional performance, accompanied by increased N1 and P3 event-related potential amplitudes (Kober et al, 2015).…”

The Effect of Neurofeedback Training on Increasing Sustained Attention in Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

“…Also, Arns, Drinkenburg and Kenemans (2012) showed that neurofeedback training significantly improves attention deficit, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and depression complaints. Doppelmayr and Weber (2011) also showed that neurofeedback increases the reaction rate and improving visual-spatial ability. In addition to these studies, the impacts of neurofeedback was shown on changes in the reaction time (Drechsler et al, 2007), hemispherical performance in left partial areas, and increase in attention and response time (Beauregard & Levesque, 2006;Cho et al, 2004), main improvements in sustainable control of the symptoms of ADHD, lack of emotional instability, and amount of homework (Lubar, 2003).…”

Expert-novice differences in SMR activity during dart throwing

“…Subsequent studies showed that increasing SMR power was associated with reduced somatosensory and motor interference in an attention-demanding task (Egner & Gruzelier, 2001. Furthermore, augmented SMR NFT was beneficial to declarative memory (Hoedlmoser et al, 2008), mental rotation (Doppelmayr & Weber, 2011), novel music performance in children (Gruzelier, Foks, Steffert, Chen, & Ros, 2014), and acting performance with a greater subjective flow state (Gruzelier et al, 2010). In addition, Ros et al (2009) observed a significant reduction of simulated cataract surgical time due to the improvement in visuo-motor skills following augmented SMR training, which was accompanied by a reduction in anxiety.…”