Manipulating motor performance and memory through real-time fMRI neurofeedback
Abstract
Task performance depends on ongoing brain activity which can be influenced by attention, arousal, or motivation. However, such modulating factors of cognitive efficiency are unspecific, can be difficult to control, and are not suitable to facilitate neural processing in a regionally specific manner. Here, we non-pharmacologically manipulated regionally specific brain activity using technically sophisticated real-time fMRI neurofeedback. This was accomplished by training participants to simultaneously control ongoing brain activity in circumscribed motor and memory-related brain areas, namely the supplementary motor area and the parahippocampal cortex. We found that learned voluntary control over these functionally distinct brain areas caused functionally specific behavioral effects, i.e. shortening of motor reaction times and specific interference with memory encoding. The neurofeedback approach goes beyond improving cognitive efficiency by unspecific psychological factors such as attention, arousal, or motivation. It allows for directly manipulating sustained activity of task-relevant brain regions in order to yield specific behavioral or cognitive effects.
References
Changes in connectivity profiles define functionally distinct regions in human medial frontal cortex
Self-regulation of local brain activity using real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
Citations
Methods Mentioned
Software Mentioned
Related Concepts
Related Feeds
Cajal Bodies & Gems
Cajal bodies or coiled bodies are dense foci of coilin protein. Gemini of Cajal bodies, or gems, are microscopically similar to Cajal bodies. It is believed that Cajal bodies play important roles in RNA processing while gems assist the Cajal bodies. Find the latest research on Cajal bodies and gems here.
Alzheimer's Disease: Neuroimaging
Neuroimaging can help identify pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here is the latest research on neuroimaging modalities, including magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography, in AD.
Anxiety Disorders
Discover the latest research on anxiety disorders including agoraphobia, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder here.
Attention Disorders
Attention is involved in all cognitive activities, and attention disorders are reported in patients with various neurological diseases. Here are the latest discoveries pertaining to attention disorders.
Brain-Computer Interface
A brain-computer interface, also known as a brain-machine interface, is a bi-directional communication pathway between an external device and a wired brain. Here is the latest research on this topic.