NCT06460207

Neurofeedback Removal of Emotional Information From Mind

A 4-day Study of Neurofeedback Training of Cognitive Control in Healthy Adults

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 40 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Texas at Austin · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 40 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This project will examine whether individuals can be trained, using real-time feedback about brain function during neuroimaging, to effectively remove thoughts from mind by providing them with a sense of what it feels like to successfully remove a thought.

Detailed description

On the first day, an anatomical MRI scan will be followed by a 12-min resting state scan, a 30-min item localizer task in which participants view a set of 80 scene stimuli 3 times each, and a 10-min memory test outside the scanner. The brain data from the localizer will be used to identify baseline measures of item-specific brain activity patterns. On 3 subsequent days (within the next 2 weeks), participants will receive neurofeedback training. In each 1-hr session, an anatomical scan will be followed by 8 runs (5 min each) of 20 trials, half with each operation, randomly ordered, and a 10-min behavioral memory test. In the scanner, participants will perform a working memory task in which they encode a scene image and then are instructed to either maintain that image in mind for a few seconds or to suppress that image from mind. At the end of each trial, neurofeedback will be provided to the participant visually to denote their "level of engagement" in the instructed operation on that trial. The neurofeedback is derived from the MRI classifier fit for the instructed operation (maintain or suppress) from a working memory operation classifier that is pre-trained on prior data. Participants (N=40) will be randomly assigned to either the positive or negative valence condition. They will encounter stimuli from their assigned valence only during the neuroimaging task, but from both valences during the behavioral tests, so that the investigators can evaluate whether any learning generalizes across emotional valence.

Conditions

• Neurofeedback
• Cognitive Training
• Memory, Short-Term
• Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	fMRI neurofeedback	fMRI neurofeedback is a technique that allows individuals to observe real-time feedback of their brain activity as measured by fMRI scans. During a session, the participant lies inside an MRI scanner while their whole brain is scanned. This data is processed in real-time by a computer and then presented to the participant in the form of visual feedback. This feedback might be presented as a graph, a color-coded representation, or some other easily interpretable format. The participant is instructed to modulate their brain activity based on the feedback they receive. This can involve various mental strategies, such as focusing attention on specific thoughts, images, or sensations. Over repeated sessions, participants learn to consciously influence their brain activity based on the feedback they receive. Through trial and error, they discover which mental strategies are most effective for achieving their desired changes in brain activity.

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-09-01
• Primary completion: 2025-12-01
• Completion: 2025-12-01
• First posted: 2024-06-14
• Last updated: 2024-06-14