title: Effects of frontalis biofeedback on subjective ratings of relaxation.
abstract: Two groups of 20 subjects with elevated muscle tension levels were provided with either contingent (Group 1) or false (Group 2) EMG feedback from the frontalis muscle. Each group received 8 sessions of identical length. Performance of the 2 groups over the final training session was compared. Group 1 showed a marked decrease in frontalis EMG levels over Session 8 whereas Group 2 showed no change in frontalis activity. However, both groups showed a significant increase in reported feelings of relaxation with no difference between groups. To investigate the possibility that subjects attaining very low frontalis levels might show a more marked subjective response, 10 subjects from Group 1 who showed the most marked decrease in EMG activity were compared with the 10 subjects from Group 2 who showed the least decrease. Although both showed an increase in mental relaxation, there was no difference between the groups.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000503:physiopathology; D001676:Biofeedback, Psychology; D005260:Female; D005546:Forehead; D006801:Humans; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D009126:Muscle Relaxation; D009132:Muscles / Q000502:physiology; D012647:Self-Assessment