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The Difficulty of Staying Awake During Alpha/Theta Neurofeedback Training

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Abstract

Alpha/theta neurofeedback training is supposed to enhance cognitive performance as well as alleviate psychiatric disorders. Sleep during this training is regarded a confounding factor, although it is usually not controlled. Here, the amount of sleep, the impact of sleep on frequency results and the validity of subjective judgments of having fallen asleep were investigated. 40 healthy young subjects participated in 31 training units of real or mock feedback. It turned out that stage 2 sleep occurred in 10–14 % of training time, in 95 % of the subjects and in 1/3 of all training units. Sleep significantly influenced the theta/alpha ratio and theta but not alpha amplitudes. Only about 2/3 of the subjective judgements were correct and no more than 13 % of the participants could reliably identify sleep. These data demonstrate that sleep can easily occur during alpha/theta neurofeedback training and should be controlled by objective means.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a grant given from the German Research Foundation (DFG, Grant-No. JU 4301 1/1-1). Thanks to all participants for taking part in the neurofeedback training and special thanks to all research assistants helping in the manual data analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centrum of Integrative Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Lubeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538, Lübeck, Germany

    Maren D. Schütze & Klaus Junghanns

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  1. Maren D. Schütze
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  2. Klaus Junghanns
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Correspondence to Maren D. Schütze.

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Schütze, M.D., Junghanns, K. The Difficulty of Staying Awake During Alpha/Theta Neurofeedback Training. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback 40, 85–94 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10484-015-9278-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10484-015-9278-9

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