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Biofeedback regulation of temporal EEG alpha asymmetries

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Abstract

Integrated EEG alpha was recorded from T 3 and T 4 . Larger Rα/Lα ratios were defined as right asymmetry, relatively smaller ratios as left asymmetry. In different phases of the study, participants attempted to identify the presence of the EEG asymmetries and to produce the EEG asymmetries during auditory biofeedback, and were tested on hemisphere-specialized cognitive tasks while attempting to produce the EEG asymmetries. Experiential descriptions of the EEG asymmetries were obtained throughout using a set of bipolar scales. Some participants were able to identify the presence of the EEG asymmetries (p<.05). As a group there was numerically small but significant (p<.05) biofeedback control of the EEG asymmetries, but no improvement across sessions of training. There were marked individual differences in the ability to control the EEG asymmetries and in Lα and Rα during control. During baselines Lα and Rα were strongly positively correlated across time. Experiential descriptions were not consistent across participants. Effects of EEG asymmetries on performance of hemisphere-specialized tasks were demonstrated for one participant.

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Reference notes

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Portions of this paper were presented at the meeting of the Biofeedback Society of America, Orlando, Florida, March 1977. This research was supported in part by Grant No. SM176-03031 from the National Science Foundation to David C. Cohen.

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Suter, S., Griffin, G., Smallhouse, P. et al. Biofeedback regulation of temporal EEG alpha asymmetries. Biofeedback and Self-Regulation 6, 45–56 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00998792

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