Can neurofeedback-based modification of functional cerebral asymmetries and anterior cingulate activation improve the treatment of depressive disorders?

• Applicants: Dr. Susanne Bergert, Ph.D.; Professor Dr. Klaus Mathiak
• Subject Area: Clinical Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry ; Human Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience
• Term: from 2014 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 256755839

MRI-based neurofeedback enables subjects to gain control over their own brain activity. The technique is relatively simple and straightforward: while the subject lies in an MRI scanner, her brain acitivity is measured and visualized in realtime. Thereby, the subject can learn through which kind of mental operations, imagery or feelings the monitored brain activity increases or decreases, and after a while deliberately control her own brain activity. This technique may offer a wide range of applications. Since it allows to foster cognitive processing and to improve emotional control, it may not only be useful for research and teaching, but probably also for the treatment of mental diseases. In this project, we want to investigate to which extent MRI-based neurofeedback can help in the treatment of depressive disorders. With a lifetime incidence of about 20 percent, depressive disorders constitute a major part of mental diseases. And inspite of highly developed medications and psychotherapies, many patients cannot entirely be treated with the treatment options available so far.Depressive disorders typically go along with several characteristic neuronal features. Among other things, there is a dysbalance of the activations whithin the prefrontal cortex, a brain structure dedicated to executive functions, working memory and decision making. While the left prefronal cortex is usually too weakly activated, the right prefronal cortex is often too strongly activated. In a first study, we therefore attempt to reduce this dysbalance in order to see how much depressive symptoms abate in the process. In addition, depressive patients often show a hyperconnectivity within the prefrontal cortex and possibly also a hyperconnectivity between prefrontal cortex and amygdala. Since previous studies demonstrated that MRI-based neurofeedback cannot only alter the activity of particular brain regions, but also influence the connections between brain structures, we want to observe this aspect too. Another striking neuronal feature in depressive disorders is an underactivation of the anterior cingulate cortex, a brain region responsible for emotional control and executive functions. Moreover, patients who do not profit from psychotherapy or antidepressants show much weaker activations of this brain structure than patients who respond to the treatment. Accordingly, a second study shall test to which extent MRI-based neurofeedback targeting this region increases therapy success, ameliorates depressive symptoms and improves executive functions, which are often mitigated by depression. In a third study, we want to train two other cognitive functions that are usually affected in depressive disorders: working memory and attention. In addition, we want to investigate how much the positive effect of the MRI-based neurofeedback extends to other, nontrained cognitive tasks, and how long it lasts.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Participating Person: Professor Dr. Niels Birbaumer