Improving episodic memory: frontal-midline theta neurofeedback training increases source memory performance

Cognitive and neurofeedback training (NFT) studies have demonstrated that training-induced alterations of frontal-midline (FM) theta activity (4-8 Hz) transfer to cognitive control processes. Given that FM theta oscillations are assumed to provide top-down control for episodic memory retrieval, especially for source retrieval, that is, accurate recollection of contextual details of prior episodes, the present study investigated whether FM theta NFT transfers to memory control processes. It was assessed (1) whether FM theta NFT improves source retrieval and modulates its underlying EEG characteristics and (2) whether this transfer extends over two posttests. Over seven NFT sessions, thetraining group who trained individual FM theta activity showed greater FM theta increase than an active control group who trained randomly chosen frequency bands. The training group showed better source retrieval in a posttraining session performed 13 days after NFT and their performance increasesfrom pre- to both posttraining sessions were predicted by NFT theta increases. Thus, training-induced enhancement of memory control processes seems to protect newly formed memories from proactive interference of previously learned information. EEG analyses revealed that during pretest both groups showed source memory specific theta activity at frontal and parietal sites. Surprisingly, training-induced improvements in source retrieval tended to be accompanied by less prestimulus FM theta activity, which was predicted by NFT theta change for the training but not the control group, suggesting a more efficient use of memory control processes after training. The present findings provide unique evidence for the enhancement of memory control processes by FM theta NFT

Improving cognitive control: Is theta neurofeedback training associated with proactive rather than reactive control enhancement?

Frontal-midline (FM) theta activity (4–8 Hz) is proposed to reflect a mechanism for cognitive control that is needed for working memory retention, manipulation, and interference resolution. Modulation of FM theta activity via neurofeedback training (NFT) demonstrated transfer to some but not all types of cognitive control. Therefore, the present study investigated whether FM theta NFT enhances performance and modulates underlying EEG characteristics in a delayed match to sample (DMTS) task requiring mainly proactive control and a color Stroop task requiring mainly reactive control. Moreover, temporal characteristics of transfer were explored over two posttests. Across seven 30-min NFT sessions, an FM theta training group exhibited a larger FM theta increase compared to an active control group who upregulated randomly chosen frequency bands. In a posttest performed 13 days after the last training session, the training group showed better retention performance in the DMTS task. Furthermore, manipulation performance was associated with NFT theta increase for the training but not the control group. Contrarily, behavioral group differences and their relation to FM theta change were not significant in the Stroop task, suggesting that NFT is associated with proactive but not reactive control enhancement. Transfer to both tasks at a posttest one day after training was not significant. Behavioral improvements were not accompanied by changes in FM theta activity, indicating no training-induced modulation of EEG characteristics. Together, these findings suggest that NFT supports transfer to cognitive control that manifests late after training but that other training-unspecific factors may also contribute to performance enhancement

Improving cognitive control: Is theta neurofeedback training associated with proactive rather than reactive control enhancement?

Frontal-midline (FM) theta activity (4–8 Hz) is proposed to reflect a mechanism for cognitive control that is needed for working memory retention, manipulation, and interference resolution. Modulation of FM theta activity via neurofeedback training (NFT) demonstrated transfer to some but not all types of cognitive control. Therefore, the present study investigated whether FM theta NFT enhances performance and modulates underlying EEG characteristics in a delayed match to sample (DMTS) task requiring mainly proactive control and a color Stroop task requiring mainly reactive control. Moreover, temporal characteristics of transfer were explored over two posttests. Across seven 30-min NFT sessions, an FM theta training group exhibited a larger FM theta increase compared to an active control group who upregulated randomly chosen frequency bands. In a posttest performed 13 days after the last training session, the training group showed better retention performance in the DMTS task. Furthermore, manipulation performance was associated with NFT theta increase for the training but not the control group. Contrarily, behavioral group differences and their relation to FM theta change were not significant in the Stroop task, suggesting that NFT is associated with proactive but not reactive control enhancement. Transfer to both tasks at a posttest one day after training was not significant. Behavioral improvements were not accompanied by changes in FM theta activity, indicating no training-induced modulation of EEG characteristics. Together, these findings suggest that NFT supports transfer to cognitive control that manifests late after training but that other training-unspecific factors may also contribute to performance enhancement

Improving episodic memory: frontal-midline theta neurofeedback training increases source memory performance

Cognitive and neurofeedback training (NFT) studies have demonstrated that training-induced alterations of frontal-midline (FM) theta activity (4-8 Hz) transfer to cognitive control processes. Given that FM theta oscillations are assumed to provide top-down control for episodic memory retrieval, especially for source retrieval, that is, accurate recollection of contextual details of prior episodes, the present study investigated whether FM theta NFT transfers to memory control processes. It was assessed (1) whether FM theta NFT improves source retrieval and modulates its underlying EEG characteristics and (2) whether this transfer extends over two posttests. Over seven NFT sessions, thetraining group who trained individual FM theta activity showed greater FM theta increase than an active control group who trained randomly chosen frequency bands. The training group showed better source retrieval in a posttraining session performed 13 days after NFT and their performance increasesfrom pre- to both posttraining sessions were predicted by NFT theta increases. Thus, training-induced enhancement of memory control processes seems to protect newly formed memories from proactive interference of previously learned information. EEG analyses revealed that during pretest both groups showed source memory specific theta activity at frontal and parietal sites. Surprisingly, training-induced improvements in source retrieval tended to be accompanied by less prestimulus FM theta activity, which was predicted by NFT theta change for the training but not the control group, suggesting a more efficient use of memory control processes after training. The present findings provide unique evidence for the enhancement of memory control processes by FM theta NFT

Theta neurofeedback training supports motor performance and flow experience

Flow is defined as a cognitive state that is associated with a feeling of automatic and effortless control, enabling peak performance in highly challenging situations. In sports, flow can be enhanced by mindfulness training, which has been associated with frontal theta activity (4-8 Hz). Moreover, frontal-midline theta oscillations were shown to subserve control processes in a large variety of cognitive tasks. Based on previous theta neurofeedback training studies, which revealed that one training session is sufficient to enhance motor performance, the present study investigated whether one 30-minute session of frontal-midline theta neurofeedback training (1) enhances flow experience additionally to motor performance in a finger tapping task, and (2) transfers to cognitive control processes in an n-back task. Participants, who were able to successfully upregulate their theta activity during neurofeedback training (responders), showed better motor performance and flow experience after training than participants, who did not enhance their theta activity (non-responders). Across all participants, increase of theta activity during training was associated with motor performance enhancement from pretest to posttest irrespective of pre-training performance. Interestingly, theta training gains were also linked to the increase of flow experience, even when corresponding increases in motor performance were controlled for. Results for the n-back task were not significant. Even though these findings are mainly correlational in nature and additional flow-promoting influences need to be investigated, the present findings suggest that frontal-midline theta neurofeedback training is a promising tool to support flow experience with additional relevance for performance enhancement

Curiosity and mesolimbic functional connectivity drive information seeking in real life

Curiosity reflects an individual’s intrinsic motivation to seek information in order to close information gaps. In laboratory-based experiments, both curiosity and information seeking have been associated with enhanced neural dynamics in the mesolimbic dopaminergic circuit. However, it is unclear whether curiosity and dopaminergic dynamics drive information seeking in real life. We investigated (i) whether curiosity predicts different characteristics of real-life information seeking and (ii) whether functional connectivity within the mesolimbic dopaminergic circuit is associated with information seeking outside the laboratory. Up to 15 months before the COVID-19 pandemic, curiosity and anxiety questionnaires and a 10-minute resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging session were conducted. In a follow-up survey early during the COVID-19 pandemic, participants repeated the questionnaires and completed an additional questionnaire about their COVID-19-related information seeking. Individual differences in curiosity but not anxiety were positively associated with the frequency of information-seeking behaviour. Additionally, the frequency of information seeking was predicted by individual differences in resting-state functional connectivity between the ventral tegmental area and the nucleus accumbens. The present translational study paves the way for future studies on the role of curiosity in real-life information seeking by showing that both curiosity and the mesolimbic dopaminergic functional network support real-life information-seeking behaviour

Theta neurofeedback training and its transfer to cognitive and memory control processes

Cognitive and memory enhancement is not only a desire of a gradually aging society, but also of a young, increasingly competitive, and achievement-oriented society. Cognitive and memory control processes are necessary to select appropriate behavior and memories out of interfering ones and seem to be reflected in frontal-midline (FM) theta activity. Neurofeedback training (NFT) is a neuro-scientific method that is increasingly used for the training of brain activity underlying cognitive processes. Previous studies showed mixed findings of FM theta NFT to cognitive control processes. Furthermore, transfer to memory control processes that especially support the accurate recollection of contextual details (source memory) has not been investigated. The present thesis provides novel insights in the neural mechanisms underlying cognitive control processes as well as FM theta NFT and its transfer to cognitive and memory control processes. Study 1 revealed that although cognitive control processes occurring before and after cognitively demanding events (proactive and reactive control) are reflected in FM theta activity, their topographies differ depending on task requirements. While theta activity was focally activated at frontal sites in a proactive control task, it had a broader topographical distribution in a reactive control task. Study 2 and 3 demonstrated greater FM theta increase over seven NFT sessions for a training group who trained individual FM theta activity compared to an active control group who trained session-wise randomly chosen frequency bands. Moreover, FM theta NFT showed transfer to proactive control and source memory performance not one but 13 days after the last training session that was additionally predicted by FM theta NFT increase. These findings suggest that cognitive control transfer might become manifest late after training and that enhancement of memory control processes possibly improves the protection of memories from proactive interference. Interestingly, training-induced behavioral transfer tended to be accompanied by decreased FM theta activity, suggesting a more efficient use of cognitive and memory control processes after training. Together, the present thesis constitutes an intervention technique for cognitive enhancement in young adults that might be potentially relevant for treatment of cognitive and memory decline in old age.Kognitions- und Gedächtnissteigerung ist nicht nur der Wunsch einer immer älter werdenden Gesellschaft, sondern auch einer jungen, zunehmend wettbewerbsorientierten und leistungsorientierten Gesellschaft. Kognitive Kontrollprozesse und Gedächtniskontrollprozesse sind notwendig, um angemessene Verhaltensoptionen und gewünschte Gedächtnisrepräsentationen aus vielen konkurrierenden Varianten auszuwählen. Diese Kontrollprozesse scheinen sich in der Theta-Aktivität, die über der frontalen Mittellinie (FM) gemessenen wird, widerzuspiegeln. Neurofeedbacktraining (NFT) ist eine neurowissenschaftliche Methode, die zunehmend für das Training kognitiver Prozesse zugrunde liegender Gehirnaktivität eingesetzt wird. Bisherige Studien zeigten unterschiedliche Befunde zur Verbesserung von kognitiven Kontrollprozessen durch FM Theta NFT. Darüber hinaus wurde der Transfer eines solchen Trainings zu Gedächtniskontrollprozessen, die insbesondere die Erinnerung kontextueller Details (Quellengedächtnis) unterstützen, noch nicht untersucht. Die vorliegende Arbeit liefert neue Einblicke sowohl in die neuronalen Mechanismen, die kognitiven Kontrollprozessen zugrunde liegen, als auch in FM Theta NFT und dessen Transfer zu kognitiven Kontrollprozessen und Gedächtniskontrollprozessen. Studie 1 offenbarte, dass kognitive Kontrollprozesse, die vor und nach kognitiv anspruchsvollen Ereignissen auftreten (proaktive und reaktive Kontrolle), beide in FM Theta-Aktivität reflektiert sind, sich jedoch je nach Aufgabenanforderung in ihrer Topographie unterscheiden. In einer Aufgabe, die hauptsächlich proaktive Kontrolle beanspruchte, war die gemessene Theta-Aktivität fokal an frontalen Elektroden präsent, während in einer Aufgabe, welche maßgeblich die reaktive Kontrolle involvierte, die Theta-Aktivität eine weitere topographische Verteilung hatte. In Studie 2 und 3 zeigte eine Trainingsgruppe, die individuell bestimmte FM Theta-Aktivität trainierte, einen größeren FM Theta-Anstieg über sieben NFT-Sitzungen im Vergleich zu einer aktiven Kontrollgruppe, die sitzungsweise zufällig ausgewählte Frequenzbänder trainierte. Darüber hinaus führte FM Theta NFT zu einer Verbesserung proaktiver Kontrolle und der Quellengedächtnisleistung nicht einen Tag nach der letzten Trainingssitzung, sondern 13 Tage später. Das Ausmaß der Performanzverbesserung wurde zusätzlich durch den FM Theta NFT Anstieg vorhergesagt. Diese Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass sich einerseits der Transfer zu kognitiven Kontrollprozessen möglicherweise spät nach dem Training manifestiert und andererseits die Verbesserung von Gedächtniskontrollprozessen vermutlich Erinnerungen vor proaktiver Interferenz schützt. Interessanterweise ging der trainingsinduzierte Transfer tendenziell mit einer verminderten FM Theta-Aktivität einher, was auf eine effizientere Nutzung von kognitiven und Gedächtniskontrollprozessen nach dem Training schließen lässt. Die vorliegende Arbeit stellt eine Interventionsmethode zur kognitiven Verbesserung bei jungen Erwachsenen mit potentieller Relevanz für die Behandlung von Kognitions- und Gedächtnisverlusten im Alter dar.Deutsche Forschungsgesellschaft, IRTG "Adaptive Minds