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The difficulty of staying awake during alpha/theta neurofeedback training
Maren D Schütze1, Klaus Junghanns
1Centrum of Integrative Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Lubeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538, Lübeck, Germany, Maren.Schuetze@uksh.de.
Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback
|April 4, 2015
Summary
Sleep frequently occurs during alpha/theta neurofeedback, significantly impacting results. Objective monitoring is crucial as subjective sleep detection is unreliable for this cognitive training.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Sleep Science
Background:
- Alpha/theta neurofeedback aims to improve cognitive function and treat psychiatric conditions.
- Sleep is a potential confounding factor in neurofeedback training but is often uncontrolled.
- Understanding sleep's impact is vital for the validity of neurofeedback protocols.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the occurrence of sleep during alpha/theta neurofeedback.
- To assess the impact of sleep on neurofeedback frequency results.
- To evaluate the accuracy of subjective sleep detection during training.
Main Methods:
- 40 healthy young subjects underwent 31 training sessions with real or mock feedback.
- Sleep stages, specifically stage 2, were monitored during the neurofeedback sessions.
- Subjects' subjective reports of sleep were compared with objective sleep data.
Main Results:
- Stage 2 sleep occurred in 10-14% of training time across 95% of subjects and in one-third of sessions.
- Sleep significantly altered the theta/alpha ratio and theta amplitudes, but not alpha amplitudes.
- Subjective sleep judgments were correct in only about two-thirds of cases, with limited reliable self-detection.
Conclusions:
- Sleep readily occurs during alpha/theta neurofeedback training, affecting key electrophysiological measures.
- Subjective assessment is insufficient for detecting sleep during these sessions.
- Objective methods are necessary to control for sleep as a confounding variable in alpha/theta neurofeedback research and practice.
