Feasibility of training the dorsolateral prefrontal-striatal network by real-time fMRI neurofeedback
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Weiss F
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8803939 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:We investigated if emotion regulation can be improved through self-regulation training on non-emotional brain regions, as well as how to change the brain networks implicated in this process. During the training period, the participants were instructed to up-regulate their right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (rDLPFC) activity according to real-time functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) neurofeedback signals, and there was no emotional element. The results showed that the training significantly increased emotion regulation, resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) within the emotion regulation network (ERN) and frontoparietal network (FPN), and rsFC between the ERN and amygdala; however, training did not influence the rsFC between the FPN and the amygdala. However, self-regulation training on rDLPFC significantly improved emotion regulation and generally increased the rsFCs within the networks; the rsFC between the ERN and amygdala was also selectively increased. The present study also described a safe approach that may improve emotion regulation through self-regulation training on non-emotional brain regions.
| S-EPMC8010650 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) is involved in regulation of negative emotion and decision-making, emotional and behavioral control, and active resilient coping. This pilot study examined the feasibility of training healthy subjects (n = 27) to self-regulate the vmPFC activity using a real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging neurofeedback (rtfMRI-nf). Participants in the experimental group (EG, n = 18) were provided with an ongoing vmPFC hemodynamic activity (rtfMRI-nf signal represented as variable-height bar). Individuals were instructed to raise the bar by self-relevant value-based thinking. Participants in the control group (CG, n = 9) performed the same task; however, they were provided with computer-generated sham neurofeedback signal. Results demonstrate that (a) both the CG and the EG show a higher vmPFC fMRI signal at the baseline than during neurofeedback training; (b) no significant positive training effect was seen in the vmPFC across neurofeedback runs; however, the medial prefrontal cortex, middle temporal gyri, inferior frontal gyri, and precuneus showed significant decreasing trends across the training runs only for the EG; (c) the vmPFC rtfMRI-nf signal associated with the fMRI signal across the default mode network (DMN). These findings suggest that it may be difficult to modulate a single DMN region without affecting other DMN regions. Observed decreased vmPFC activity during the neurofeedback task could be due to interference from the fMRI signal within other DMN network regions, as well as interaction with task-positive networks. Even though participants in the EG did not show significant positive increase in the vmPFC activity among neurofeedback runs, they were able to learn to accommodate the demand of self-regulation task to maintain the vmPFC activity with the help of a neurofeedback signal.
| S-EPMC7267960 | biostudies-literature
Project description:With the use of real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging neurofeedback (NF), amygdala activitiy can be visualized in real time. In this study, continuous amygdala NF was provided to patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) with the instruction to down-regulate. During four sessions of NF training, patients viewed aversive pictures and received feedback from a thermometer display, which showed the amygdala blood oxygenation level-dependent signal. Conditions of regulation and viewing without regulation were presented. Each session started with a resting-state scan and was followed by a transfer run without NF. Amygdala regulation, task-related and resting-state functional brain connectivity were analyzed. Self-ratings of dissociation and difficulty in emotion regulation were collected. BPD patients down-regulated right amygdala activation but there were no improvements over time. Task-related amygdala-ventromedial prefrontal cortex connectivity was altered across the four sessions, with an increased connectivity when regulating vs viewing pictures. Resting-state amygdala-lateral prefrontal cortex connectivity was altered and dissociation, as well as scores for 'lack of emotional awareness', decreased with training. Results demonstrated that amygdala NF may improve healthy brain connectivity, as well as emotion regulation. A randomized-controlled trial is needed to investigate whether amygdala NF is instrumental for improving neural regulation and emotion regulation in BPD patients.
| S-EPMC4884315 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Many patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), especially war veterans, do not respond to available treatments. Here, we describe a novel neurofeedback (NF) intervention using real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging for treating and studying PTSD. The intervention involves training participants to control amygdala activity after exposure to personalized trauma scripts. Three combat veterans with chronic PTSD participated in this feasibility study. All three participants tolerated well the NF training. Moreover, two participants, despite the chronicity of their symptoms, showed clinically meaningful improvements, while one participant showed a smaller symptom reduction. Examination of changes in resting-state functional connectivity patterns revealed a normalization of brain connectivity consistent with clinical improvement. These preliminary results support feasibility of this novel intervention for PTSD and indicate that larger, well-controlled studies of efficacy are warranted.
| S-EPMC4914513 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundAmygdala hemodynamic responses to positive stimuli are attenuated in major depressive disorder (MDD), and normalize with remission. Real-time functional MRI neurofeedback (rtfMRI-nf) offers a non-invasive method to modulate this regional activity. We examined whether depressed participants can use rtfMRI-nf to enhance amygdala responses to positive autobiographical memories, and whether this ability alters symptom severity.MethodsUnmedicated MDD subjects were assigned to receive rtfMRI-nf from either left amygdala (LA; experimental group, n = 14) or the horizontal segment of the intraparietal sulcus (HIPS; control group, n = 7) and instructed to contemplate happy autobiographical memories (AMs) to raise the level of a bar representing the hemodynamic signal from the target region to a target level. This 40s Happy condition alternated with 40s blocks of rest and counting backwards. A final Transfer run without neurofeedback information was included.ResultsParticipants in the experimental group upregulated their amygdala responses during positive AM recall. Significant pre-post scan decreases in anxiety ratings and increases in happiness ratings were evident in the experimental versus control group. A whole brain analysis showed that during the transfer run, participants in the experimental group had increased activity compared to the control group in left superior temporal gyrus and temporal polar cortex, and right thalamus.ConclusionsUsing rtfMRI-nf from the left amygdala during recall of positive AMs, depressed subjects were able to self-regulate their amygdala response, resulting in improved mood. Results from this proof-of-concept study suggest that rtfMRI-nf training with positive AM recall holds potential as a novel therapeutic approach in the treatment of depression.
| S-EPMC3921228 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Self-regulation of brain activation with real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging neurofeedback (rtfMRI-nf) is emerging as a promising treatment for psychiatric disorders. The association between the regulation and symptom reduction, however, has not been consistent, and the mechanisms underlying the symptom reduction remain poorly understood. The present study investigated brain activity mediators of the amygdala rtfMRI-nf training effect on combat veterans' PTSD symptom reduction. The training was designed to increase a neurofeedback signal either from the left amygdala (experimental group; EG) or from a control region not implicated in emotion regulation (control group; CG) during positive autobiographical memory recall. We employed a structural equation model mapping analysis to identify brain regions that mediated the effects of the rtfMRI-nf training on PTSD symptoms. Symptom reduction was mediated by low activation in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC) and the middle cingulate cortex. There was a trend toward less activation in these regions for the EG compared to the CG. Low activation in the precuneus, the right superior parietal, the right insula, and the right cerebellum also mediated symptom reduction while their effects were moderated by the neurofeedback signal; a higher signal was linked to less effect on symptom reduction. This moderation was not specific to the EG. MDD comorbidity was associated with high DMPFC activation, which resulted in less effective regulation of the feedback signal. These results indicated that symptom reduction due to the neurofeedback training was not specifically mediated by the neurofeedback target activity, but broad regions were involved in the process.
| S-EPMC6849428 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundChronic insomnia disorder (CID) is a highly prevalent sleep disorder, which influences people's daily life and is even life threatening. However, whether the resting-state regional homogeneity (ReHo) of disrupted brain regions in CID can be reshaped to normal after treatment remains unclear.MethodsA novel intervention real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging neurofeedback (rtfMRI-NF) was used to train 28 CID patients to regulate the activity of the left amygdala for three sessions in 6 weeks. The ReHo methodology was adopted to explore its role on resting-state fMRI data, which were collected before and after training. Moreover, the relationships between changes of clinical variables and ReHo value of altered regions were determined.ResultsResults showed that the bilateral dorsal medial pre-frontal cortex, supplementary motor area (SMA), and left dorsal lateral pre-frontal cortex had decreased ReHo values, whereas the bilateral cerebellum anterior lobe (CAL) had increased ReHo values after training. Some clinical scores markedly decreased, including Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Insomnia Severity Index, Beck Depression Inventory, and Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA). Additionally, the ReHo values of the left CAL were positively correlated with the change in the Hamilton depression scale score, and a remarkable positive correlation was found between the ReHo values of the right SMA and the HAMA score.ConclusionOur study provided an objective evidence that amygdala-based rtfMRI-NF training could reshape abnormal ReHo and improve sleep in patients with CID. The improved ReHo in CID provides insights into the neurobiological mechanism for the effectiveness of this intervention. However, larger double-blinded sham-controlled trials are needed to confirm our results from this initial study.
| S-EPMC9279663 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Real-time fMRI neurofeedback (rtfMRI-nf) left amygdala (LA) training is a promising intervention for major depressive disorder (MDD). We have previously proposed that rtfMRI-nf LA training may reverse depression-associated regional impairments in neuroplasticity and restore information flow within emotion-regulating neural circuits. Inflammatory cytokines as well as the neuroactive metabolites of an immunoregulatory pathway, i.e. the kynurenine pathway (KP), have previously been implicated in neuroplasticity. Therefore, in this proof-of-principle study, we investigated the association between rtfMRI-nf LA training and circulating inflammatory mediators and KP metabolites. Based on our previous work, the primary variable of interest was the ratio of the NMDA-receptor antagonist, kynurenic acid to the NMDA receptor agonist, quinolinic acid (KynA/QA), a putative neuroprotective index. We tested two main hypotheses. i. Whether rtfMRI-nf acutely modulates KynA/QA, and ii. whether baseline KynA/QA predicts response to rtfMRI-nf. Twenty-nine unmedicated participants who met DSM-5 criteria for MDD based on the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview and had current depressive symptoms (Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) score > 6) completed two rtfMRI-nf sessions to upregulate LA activity (Visit1 and 2), as well as a follow-up (Visit3) without rtfMRI-nf. All visits occurred at two-week intervals. At all three visits, the MADRS was administered to participants and serum samples for the quantification of inflammatory cytokines and KP metabolites were obtained. First, the longitudinal changes in the MADRS score and immune markers were tested by linear mixed effect model analysis. Further, utilizing a linear regression model, we investigated the relationship between rtfMRI-nf performance and immune markers. After two sessions of rtfMRI-nf, MADRS scores were significantly reduced (t[58] = -4.07, p = 0.009, d = 0.56). Thirteen participants showed a ≥ 25% reduction in the MADRS score (the partial responder group). There was a significant effect of visit (F[2,58] = 3.17, p = 0.05) for the neuroprotective index, KynA to 3-hydroxykynurenine (3-HK), that was driven by a significant increase in KynA/3-HK between Visit1 and Visit3 (t[58] = 2.50, p = 0.03, d = 0.38). A higher baseline level of KynA/QA (β = 5.23, p = 0.06; rho = 0.49, p = 0.02) was associated with greater ability to upregulate the LA. Finally, for exploratory purposes correlation analyses were performed between the partial responder and the non-responder groups as well as in the whole sample including all KP metabolites and cytokines. In the partial responder group, greater ability to upregulate the LA was correlated with an increase in KynA/QA after rtfMRI-nf (rho = 0.75, p = 0.03). The results are consistent with the possibility that rtfMRI-nf decreases metabolism down the so-called neurotoxic branch of the KP. Nevertheless, non-specific effects cannot be ruled out due to the lack of a sham control. Future, controlled studies are needed to determine whether the increase in KynA/3HK and KynA/QA is specific to rtfMRI-nf or whether it is a non-specific correlate of the resolution of depressive symptoms. Similarly, replication studies are needed to determine whether KynA/QA has clinical utility as a treatment response biomarker.
| S-EPMC7847971 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Simultaneous real-time fMRI and EEG neurofeedback (rtfMRI-EEG-nf) is an emerging neuromodulation approach, that enables simultaneous volitional regulation of both hemodynamic (BOLD fMRI) and electrophysiological (EEG) brain activities. Here we report the first application of rtfMRI-EEG-nf for emotion self-regulation training in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). In this proof-of-concept study, MDD patients in the experimental group (n = 16) used rtfMRI-EEG-nf during a happy emotion induction task to simultaneously upregulate two fMRI and two EEG activity measures relevant to MDD. The target measures included BOLD activities of the left amygdala (LA) and left rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC), and frontal EEG asymmetries in the alpha band (FAA, [7.5-12.5] Hz) and high-beta band (FBA, [21-30] Hz). MDD patients in the control group (n = 8) were provided with sham feedback signals. An advanced procedure for improved real-time EEG-fMRI artifact correction was implemented. The experimental group participants demonstrated significant upregulation of the LA BOLD activity, FAA, and FBA during the rtfMRI-EEG-nf task, as well as significant enhancement in fMRI connectivity between the LA and left rACC. Average individual FAA changes during the rtfMRI-EEG-nf task positively correlated with depression and anhedonia severities, and negatively correlated with after-vs-before changes in depressed mood ratings. Temporal correlations between the FAA and FBA time courses and the LA BOLD activity were significantly enhanced during the rtfMRI-EEG-nf task. The experimental group participants reported significant mood improvements after the training. Our results suggest that the rtfMRI-EEG-nf may have potential for treatment of MDD.
| S-EPMC7334611 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic and disabling neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by insufficient top-down modulation of the amygdala activity by the prefrontal cortex. Real-time fMRI neurofeedback (rtfMRI-nf) is an emerging method with potential for modifying the amygdala-prefrontal interactions. We report the first controlled emotion self-regulation study in veterans with combat-related PTSD utilizing rtfMRI-nf of the amygdala activity. PTSD patients in the experimental group (EG, n?=?20) learned to upregulate blood?oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) activity of the left amygdala (LA) using the rtfMRI-nf during a happy emotion induction task. PTSD patients in the control group (CG, n?=?11) were provided with a sham rtfMRI-nf. The study included three rtfMRI-nf training sessions, and EEG recordings were performed simultaneously with fMRI. PTSD severity was assessed before and after the training using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS). The EG participants who completed the study showed a significant reduction in total CAPS ratings, including significant reductions in avoidance and hyperarousal symptoms. They also exhibited a significant reduction in comorbid depression severity. Overall, 80% of the EG participants demonstrated clinically meaningful reductions in CAPS ratings, compared to 38% in the CG. No significant difference in the CAPS rating changes was observed between the groups. During the first rtfMRI-nf session, functional connectivity of the LA with the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) was progressively enhanced, and this enhancement significantly and positively correlated with the initial CAPS ratings. Left-lateralized enhancement in upper alpha EEG coherence also exhibited a significant positive correlation with the initial CAPS. Reduction in PTSD severity between the first and last rtfMRI-nf sessions significantly correlated with enhancement in functional connectivity between the LA and the left DLPFC. Our results demonstrate that the rtfMRI-nf of the amygdala activity has the potential to correct the amygdala-prefrontal functional connectivity deficiencies specific to PTSD.
| S-EPMC6051473 | biostudies-other