Could training beta activity help researchers understand changes in cognitive performance?
A focused pilot
Five people with mild cognitive impairment received 16 neurofeedback sessions over eight weeks. Training aimed to enhance beta activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Researchers measured cognitive performance and used near-infrared spectroscopy to examine blood-oxygen responses during a working-memory task.
Encouraging observations
Participants improved on measures of composite memory, cognitive flexibility, complex attention, reaction time, and executive function. Beta power increased across training. Prefrontal blood-oxygen responses also changed, with differences between individuals.
Keeping the findings in context
Measuring both performance and brain responses offers clues for future studies. But five participants and an open-label design without a control group cannot establish effectiveness. The authors raised dementia prevention as a possible future application; this study did not demonstrate that neurofeedback prevents progression to dementia.
Jang JH, et al. Beta wave enhancement neurofeedback improves cognitive functions in patients with mild cognitive impairment: A preliminary pilot study. Medicine (Baltimore). 2019;98(50):e18357. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000018357.
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