Self Regulating the Brain and Neurofeedback

With neurofeedback now going mainstream, it’s important to take a closer look at its underlying mechanics. Neurofeedback works by reading electrical activity of the surface of your brain scalp with EEG (electroencephalography). This data is in turn fed to a computer and represented visually or auditorily. The brain learns what the reward signals are and over time works to modulate itself according to the feedback given to it.

Neuroplasticity

The brain is able to physically reorganize itself to form neural connections throughout its lifetime. Through neuroplasticity, the brain is constantly getting shaped as we experience, adapt, and learn.

Neurons that fire together, wire together

Complexity

Self-organization and self-regulation are a fundamental part of brain operation. Complex systems like the brain self-organize, are open, and constantly exchange information across boundaries. The brain doesn’t only process information; it also generates information. Complex systems are defined by their nonlinearity and their behavior cannot be predicted solely on the interactions of their lower-level components. The behavior of the brain as a complex system cannot be predicted by the sum of the local interactions of its neurons. Brain waves organize in a way that shows self-similarity over time. The fluidity of brain processes depends on evolving complexity. Neurofeedback seeks to tune brain oscillations to achieve a balance between network flexibility and stability.

Phase Resets

One study showed that network resets in the medial prefrontal cortex of rats correlated with letting go of prior beliefs in favor of exploratory behavior. There was an updating of the belief system in these rats. It reflected a network switch to a state of instability, which then diminishes as the new stable representations are formed.

Brain Structures

The Precuneus, anterior cingulate, and angular gyri are thought to control self-referential thinking. PET scans in one Danish study showed increased activation in the left prefrontal cortex, medial precuneus, and posterior cingulate regions.

References

1. Newsweek Article on Neurofeedback
2. Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience
3. Science Magazine Article
4. H. Lou, B. Luber, M. Crupain, et al. Parietal cortex and representation of the mental self. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 2004; 101:6827-6832. The effective stimulation had a latency of 160ms.