ORCID
- Anil, Krithika: 0000-0002-8027-1665
- Ganis, Giorgio: 0000-0001-6175-2618
- Marsden, Jonathan: 0000-0002-2037-4902
- Hall, Stephen: 0000-0002-9274-6867
Abstract
Neurofeedback (NF) is a promising intervention for improvements in motor performance in Parkinson’s disease. This NF pilot study in healthy participants aimed to achieve the following: (1) determine participants’ ability to bi-directionally modulate sensorimotor beta power and (2) determine the effect of NF on movement performance. A real-time EEG-NF protocol was used to train participants to increase and decrease their individual motor cortex beta power amplitude, using a within-subject double-blind sham-controlled approach. Movement was assessed using a Go/No-go task. Participants completed the NASA Task Load Index and provided verbal feedback of the NF task difficulty. All 17 participants (median age = 38 (19–65); 10 females) reliably reduced sensorimotor beta power. No participant could reliably increase their beta activity. Participants reported that the NF task was challenging, particularly increasing beta. A modest but significant increase in reaction time correlated with a reduction in beta power only in the real condition. Findings suggest that beta power control difficulty varies by modulation direction, affecting participant perceptions. A correlation between beta power reduction and reaction times only in the real condition suggests that intentional beta power reduction may shorten reaction times. Future research should examine the minimum beta threshold for meaningful motor improvements, and the relationship between EEG mechanisms and NF learning to optimise NF outcomes.
DOI
10.3390/s24165107
Publication Date
2024-08-06
Publication Title
Sensors
Volume
24
Issue
16
ISSN
1424-8220
Organisational Unit
School of Health Professions
Keywords
neurofeedback, EEG, brain-computer interface, Parkinson Disease, reaction time
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Anil, K., Ganis, G., Freeman, J., Marsden, J., & Hall, S. (2024) 'Exploring the Feasibility of Bidirectional Control of Beta Oscillatory Power in Healthy Controls as a Potential Intervention for Parkinson’s Disease Movement Impairment', Sensors, 24(16). Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/s24165107