NIRS-based neurofeedback learning systems for controlling activity of the prefrontal cortex.

The aim of this study was to develop a NIRS-based neurofeedback system to modulate activity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). We evaluated the effectiveness of the system in terms of separability of changes in oxy-Hb and its derivative. Training with neurofeedback resulted in higher separability than training without neurofeedback or no training, suggesting that the neurofeedback system could enhance self-control of PFC activity. Interestingly, the dorsolateral PFC exhibited enhanced activity and high separability after neurofeedback training. These observations suggest that the neurofeedback system might be useful for training subjects to regulate emotions by self-control of dorsolateral PFC activity.