Low-beta frequency band neurofeedback training: effects on attentional orientation, executive control, and underlying neural mechanisms

Neurofeedback Training (NFT) employs real-time feedback on brain activity to empower participants to self-regulate cognitive functions within specific brain regions. Understanding the neurophysiological correlates of NFT is critically important, as these remain largely unclear, especially regard to their neural underpinnings. This study aims to investigate whether and to what extent NFT enhances attentional orientation and executive control in healthy adults, and to explore the potential electrophysiological features associated with these behavioral changes. Participants were divided into two groups: the neurofeedback group (NF, n = 19), who received real-time EEG signal feedback from the F3 electrode with training in the beta1 band (15–18 Hz); and the sham group (sham, n = 18), who watched pre-recorded videos unrelated to brain activity. Both groups underwent pre- and post-intervention assessments, which encompassed attention tasks and EEG data collection. Behavioral results demonstrated that the NF group achieved improvements in attention performance compared to the sham group. These findings were corroborated by event-related potential (ERP) data: post-intervention, the NF group exhibited enhanced N1 amplitudes during attention-orienting tasks and increased N2 amplitudes during executive control tasks. Furthermore, the NF group showed a phased increase in beta1 power during training, reaching statistical significance by the third session, whereas the sham group remained stable. These findings suggest that NFT may, to some extent, modulate attention-related neural activity, thereby potentially contributing to the enhancement of attentional task performance in healthy adults.