The Effect of Alpha Neurofeedback Training on Motor Skill Acquisition

Mohammadreza Ghasemian¹, Hammidreza Taheri¹, Alireza Saberi Kakhki¹ and Majid Ghoshuni²

¹Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad-Iran.

²Department of Biomedical Engineering, Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran.

*Corresponding Author E-mail: Hamidtaheri@um.ac.ir

DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.13005/bbra/2313

ABSTRACT: The present study aimed to compare the effects of two types of neurofeedbackprotocols (alpha enhancement& alpha suppression) on the motor skill acquisition. 42 volunteersparticipated in the present study. The subjects were divided into three groups of ‘alpha enhancement’, ‘alpha suppression’ and ‘control’. In the alpha suppression group, the objective was to reduce alpha brain waves and in the alpha enhancement group, the objective was to increase the alpha amplitude over the motor cortex areas before the motor intervention. During the acquisition stage, the participants practiced the pursuit tracking task. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions on motor learning, the participants were assessed at intervals of 90 minutes, 24 hours and one week after the interventions. The results showed that all of the groups were progressing during the interventions; however, participants in the alpha suppression group had a better performance in first retention test. The superiority of participants in the alpha suppression group was not maintained in subsequent evaluations. Based on the results, reduction of alpha range and its subsequent increased motor cortex excitability can provide beneficial effects in the acquisition of a new motor skill. However, more studies are needed to confirm the sustainability of these effects over time.

KEYWORDS: Neurofeedback; Cortical excitability; Motor skill acquisition

[ HTML Full Text]