title: fMRI neurofeedback of higher visual areas and perceptual biases.
abstract: The self-regulation of brain activation via neurofeedback training offers a method to study the relationship between brain areas and perception in a more direct manner than the conventional mapping of brain responses to different types of stimuli. The current proof-of-concept study aimed to demonstrate that healthy volunteers can self-regulate activity in the parahippocampal place area (PPA) over the fusiform face area (FFA). Both areas are involved in higher order visual processing and are activated during the imagery of scenes and faces respectively. Participants (N=9) were required to upregulate PPA relative to FFA activity, and all succeeded at the task, with imagery of scenes being the most commonly reported mental strategy. A control group (N=8) underwent the same imagery and testing procedure, albeit without neurofeedback, in a mock MR scanner to account for any non-specific training effects. The upregulation of PPA activity occurred concurrently with activation of prefrontal and parietal areas, which have been associated with ideation and mental image generation. We tested whether successful upregulation of the PPA relative to FFA had consequences on perception by assessing bistable perception of faces and houses in a binocular rivalry task (before and after the scanning sessions) and categorisation of faces and scenes presented in transparent composite images (during scanning, interleaved with the self-regulation blocks). Contrary to our expectations, upregulation of the PPA did not alter the duration of face or house perception in the rivalry task and response speed and accuracy in the categorisation task. This conclusion was supported by the results of another control experiment (N=10 healthy participants) that involved intensive exposure to category-specific stimuli and did not show any behavioural or perceptual changes. We conclude that differential self-regulation of higher visual areas can be achieved, but that perceptual biases under conditions of stimulus rivalry are relatively robust against such internal modulation of localised brain activity. This study sets the basis for future investigations of perceptual and behavioural consequences of localised self-regulation of neural activity.
authors.affiliation: Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Habes
authors.affiliation: Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rushton
authors.affiliation: School of Human and Health Sciences, Department of Psychology, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.affiliation: Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK; Cognitive Neuroscience Sector, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), 34136 Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: M O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Sokunbi
authors.affiliation: Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Barawi
authors.affiliation: Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK; Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience and School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brosnan
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 4XN, UK.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Daly
authors.affiliation: Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ihssen
authors.affiliation: Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK; Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 4XN, UK. Electronic address: LindenD@cardiff.ac.uk.
authors.forename: D E J
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Linden
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015982:Bias; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005133:Eye Movements; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007600:Judgment; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D058765:Neurofeedback; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D000068356:Self-Control; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015348:Vision, Binocular / Q000502:physiology; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen
keywords: Binocular rivalry; Fusiform face area (FFA); Neurofeedback; Parahippocampal place area (PPA); Self-regulation