An interventional study of real-time fMRI neurofeedback training running on Turbo Brain voyager (TBV) 3.2 (Brain Innovation, Maastricht, The Netherlands) in Anterior Insula Activity During Regulation and Empathic Responses After Anterior Insula Regulation, sponsored by University of Electronic Science and Technology of China. Completed. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 30 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2022-02-09.
Sponsored by University of Electronic Science and Technology of China · Not applicable, Interventional, and Basic science
The aim is to test whether rtfMRI-based neurofeedback training on anterior insula impacts pain empathy.
In the present study, investigators plan to use the real-time fMRI neurofeedback to train healthy subjects to learn volitional control over their own anterior insula (AI) activity. Then the effect of AI regulation will assessed by examining subjects' empathic responses and functional connectivity changes. Subjects were separated into two groups randomly. While the experimental group received specific neurofeedback from their own AI, the control group received sham NF from an unspecific region.
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Neurofeedback training group receives neurofeedback from their own anterior insula.
Device: real-time fMRI neurofeedback training running on Turbo Brain voyager (TBV) 3.2 (Brain Innovation, Maastricht, The Netherlands)
Sham control group receives sham neurofeedback from a large control brain region.
Device: real-time fMRI neurofeedback training running on Turbo Brain voyager (TBV) 3.2 (Brain Innovation, Maastricht, The Netherlands)
Neural Activity of Anterior Insula During Neorofeedback Training
Neural activity was analyzed using standard fMRI analysis procedure that examine neural activity during training of anterior insula regulation. The measures include BOLD signal analysis (reflecting neural activity strengths) as well as functional connectivity analysis (that examine the interaction between different brain regions).
Time frame: three days.
Pain Empathy Rating Scores
Subjects were required to rate their empathic feeling towards painful pictures on a Likert Scale ranging from 1-9 (1 = not at all and 9 = very painful). The effects of training on the empathy for pain were analyzed comparing the feedback group with the controls group. For each subject differences were calculated between pictures that were preceded by a training compared to a no-training block. Within the context of the present design we expected that training-induced increases in anterior insula activity should lead to higher pain empathy ratings in the training group as compared to the control group.
Time frame: three days.
| Milestone | Neurofeedback Training | Sham Control |
|---|---|---|
| Started | 21 | 16 |
| Completed | 18 | 14 |
| Not completed | 3 | 2 |
Neural activity was analyzed using standard fMRI analysis procedure that examine neural activity during training of anterior insula regulation. The measures include BOLD signal analysis (reflecting neural activity strengths) as well as functional connectivity analysis (that examine the interaction between different brain regions).
| percentage of BOLD signal change | Neurofeedback Training | Sham Control |
|---|---|---|
| Neural Activity of Anterior Insula During Neorofeedback Training | 0.077 ± 0.016 | 0.026 ± 0.018 |
Subjects were required to rate their empathic feeling towards painful pictures on a Likert Scale ranging from 1-9 (1 = not at all and 9 = very painful). The effects of training on the empathy for pain were analyzed comparing the feedback group with the controls group. For each subject differences were calculated between pictures that were preceded by a training compared to a no-training block. Within the context of the present design we expected that training-induced increases in anterior insula activity should lead to higher pain empathy ratings in the training group as compared to the control group.
| units on a scale | Neurofeedback Training | Sham Control |
|---|---|---|
| Pain Empathy Rating Scores | 0.249 ± 0.107 | -0.09 ± 0.122 |
Collected over three days - subjects were required to come back to the lab after two days.. Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.
| Group | Deaths | Serious | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neurofeedback Training | — | 0/21 (0%) | 0/21 (0%) |
| Sham Control | — | 0/16 (0%) | 0/16 (0%) |
| Age, Continuous(years) | Neurofeedback Training | Sham Control | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | 22.2 ± 0.3 | 21.7 ± 0.5 | 21.95 ± 0.4 |
| Sex: Female, Male(Participants) | Neurofeedback Training | Sham Control | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 11 | 7 | 18 |
| Male | 10 | 9 | 19 |
| Region of Enrollment(Participants) | Neurofeedback Training | Sham Control | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 21 | 16 | 37 |
No study locations are listed for this record.
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University of Electronic Science and Technology of China