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Psychophysics of EEG Alpha State Discrimination

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Check out this Knowledge Base article from StressTherapy Solutions: Psychophysics of EEG Alpha State Discrimination.

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Study at a glance

Area
QEEG, Methods & Mechanisms
Study type
Pilot / open study
Authors
Frederick JA
Journal
Consciousness and Cognition
Year
2012
Participants
106
Population
Adults
Protocol
EEG alpha state discrimination training with immediate feedback
Sessions
Up to 9

Key findings

  • 106 adults; prompted at unusually high or low alpha and asked to say which
  • 75% reached significant discrimination within nine sessions, with a clear learning curve
  • Accuracy depended on the size, duration and relative amplitude of the alpha change
  • First successful replication of Kamiya (1962); no control group

DOI 10.1016/j.concog.2012.06.009 → PubMed 22800733 →

Most neurofeedback trains people to change their brain activity; this study trained them to notice it. 106 participants were prompted whenever their alpha rhythm was unusually high or low and asked which it was, with immediate feedback. Three quarters learned to tell the two states apart better than chance within nine sessions, improving as they went, and accuracy depended on how strong, long and pronounced the alpha changes were. It is the first successful replication of Kamiya's 1962 alpha discrimination finding, and suggests people can learn to sense their own EEG states.