The Impact of Alpha‐Neurofeedback Training on Gastric Slow Wave Activity and Heart Rate Variability in Humans
STS Instructor Authored by Mark Smith
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Study at a glance
- Area
- Other research
- Study type
- Randomized controlled trial
- Authors
- Mathew J, Galacgac J, Smith ML, Du P, Cakmak YO
- Journal
- Neurogastroenterology & Motility
- Year
- 2025
- Participants
- 20
- Population
- Adults
- Protocol
- alpha uptraining of left posterior insula vs visual cortex control
- Sessions
- 2 sessions (crossover)
Key findings
- Longer successful insula training correlated with higher RMSSD and lower stress index (HRV)
- In the visual-cortex control, training duration correlated negatively with a gastric rhythm index; this was not seen after insula training
- Insula training duration also correlated with infraslow, slow and beta activity in insula regions and with beta/gamma connectivity
- Single-session crossover study in healthy volunteers; findings are correlational
Twenty healthy adults each completed two blinded sessions in random order: alpha-band neurofeedback aimed at the left posterior insula, a region tied to gut-brain signalling, and a control session training the primary visual cortex. ECG, EEG and stomach electrical activity were recorded before and after training and around a water-loading test. The main finding was that how long people successfully held the insula target was linked to heart rate variability and to EEG activity and connectivity in insula regions, so the authors recommend tracking time-on-target in future neurofeedback trials.