Abstract
The present study sought to identify possible predictors for neurofeedback (NF) training success. Previous findings have shown that about 30% of participants in NF training studies are unable to learn to regulate their brain activity, but the reasons for this remains elusive. Considering the widespread interest of NF for the purpose of cognitive enhancement and treatment of disorders, it is of great benefit to understand the underlying reasons for this variability in performance. The present study focused on 4 such possible predictors of training success: individual frequency, power, intertrial coherence (ITC) and motivation before training. To investigate this, a double-blind and sham-controlled design, consisting of 6 NF training sessions and a pre- and post-assessment of executive functions, was set up. Results revealed that while participants were able to significantly regulate their brain activity within single sessions, no significant effect was seen between sessions. Although a limited sample size, trends in the data indicate that three of the four factors, namely individual FM-theta frequency and its power, and motivation, may be related to better training success. On the other hand, participants seemed to demonstrate a ceiling effect of ITC and thus no clear trend was present. Future research should assess whether ITC is a predictor for NF training success among patient groups. Additionally, the exact nature of the relationship between individual theta frequency and NF training success should also be further investigated, as well as the possible effects of experimenter behaviour and instructions given to the participants. Lastly, this study was the first to investigate individual frequency and ITC as possible predictors for training success with promising results, highlighting the importance of investigating different neural estimates for NF training success.