A single session of SMR-neurofeedback training improves selective attention emerging from a dynamic structuring of brain-heart interplay
Open accessAbstract
Research on sensorimotor rhythms (SMR) based on neurofeedback (NFb) emphasizes improvements in selective attention associated with SMR amplification. However, the long-term training proposed in most studies posed the question of acceptability, which led to the evaluation of the potential of a single NFb session. Based on cognitive and autonomic controls interfering with attention processes, we hypothesized changes in selective attention after a single SMR-NFb session, along with changes in brain–heart interplay, which are reflected in the multifractality of heartbeat dynamics. Here, young healthy participants (n = 35, 20 females, 21 ± 3 years) were randomly assigned either to a control group (Ctrl) watching a movie or to a neurofeedback (NFb) group performing a single session of SMR-NFb. A headset with EEG electrodes (positioned on C3 and C4) connected to a smartphone app served to guide and to evaluate NFb training efficacy. A Stroop task was performed for 8 min by each group before and after the intervention (movie vs. SMR-NFb) while collecting heart rate variability and C4-EEG for 20 min. When compared to Ctrl, the NFb group exhibited better Stroop performance, especially when facing incongruent trials. The multifractality and NFb training efficacy were identified as strong predictors of the gain in global Stroop performance, while multifractality was the only predictor regarding incongruent trials. We conclude that a single session of SMR-NFb improves selective attention in healthy individuals through the specific reorganization of brain–heart interplay, which is reflected in multifractal heartbeat dynamics.
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Training of the SMR frequency significantly improved attention in patients.
“Bouny et al 12 could show that the training of the SMR frequency significantly improved the attention of the patients.12”
From Evaluation of a manualised neurofeedback training in psychosomatic-psychotherapeutic outpatient treatment (Neuro-pp-out): study protocol for a clinical mixed-methods pilot study (2024) · cites this paper as [12]
The Results (section 3.3) report significantly better Stroop accuracy after SMR-neurofeedback than in the control group, supporting an improvement in selective attention. But the Participants section (2.1) says the study enrolled healthy students, not patients; the claim extends the finding to a population the study did not test. (LLM, conf=0.92)
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References 57 · Cited by 6
Research works printed but not linked: 2
- [49]Tukey J.W. Exploratory Data Analysis Addison-Wesley Pub. Co. Reading, MA, USA 1977 978-0-201-07616-5
- [52]Jeffreys H. Theory of Probability 3rd ed. Oxford University Press Oxford, UK 1961
- Authors
- Bouny, P., Arsac, L. M., Pratviel, Y., Boffet, A., Touré Cuq, E., & Deschodt-Arsac, V.
- Affiliations
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- URGOTECH, 15 Avenue d’Iéna, 75116 Paris, France
- Laboratoire IMS, CNRS, UMR 5218, Université de Bordeaux, 33400 Talence, France
- Corresponding author
- Bouny, Pierre
- Venue
- Brain Sciences
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2022-06-17
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 794
- ISSN
- 2076-3425 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC9221475
- OpenAlex
- W4283032266
- Cited by
- 6
- References
- 57
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1
- FWCI
- 0.52
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Brain Sciences (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Oskar-Bordeaux (Universite de Bordeaux) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- HAL (submittedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- The Company URGOTECH (Paris, France) (2020/0649)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › EEG and Brain-Computer Interfaces
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
- Keywords
- sensorimotor rhythm, neurofeedback, selective attention, heart rate variability, multifractal analysis, Stroop task
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