Decoded EEG Neurofeedback-Guided Cognitive Reappraisal Training for Emotion Regulation

Abstract

Neurofeedback is an innovative self-training that adjusts and enhances brain function. One of the more studied application scenarios with neurofeedback training is emotion regulation. Compared with regional brain activity-informed neurofeedback techniques, neurofeedback protocols using the decoded brain states as feedback signals could make the setting of regulation targets more specific and objective. In the present study, we constructed an EEG neurofeedback-guided cognitive reappraisal training protocol for emotion regulation. Forty-two healthy participants (20 females; 22.4{+/-}2.2 years old) were recruited and were randomly assigned to either the neurofeedback group or the control group. During the training process, we calculate the real-time self-regulation performance on the evoked emotion based on the decoded emotional states and fed it back to the subjects as the feedback signal. According to our results, real-time feedback of the regulation effect helps subjects improve emotion regulation performance for emotional stimuli with low positive valence. Further analysis of selected EEG features for emotion classification revealed the neural correlates with neurofeedback training. This newly proposed neurofeedback training protocol is a promising treatment for emotion-related mental disorders, with the potential to be a low-cost and high-portability brain-based, non-invasive, neural modulation technique.