The Immediate Effects of EEG Neurofeedback on Cortical Excitability and Synchronization

In comparison with the much larger number of studies demonstrating long-lasting clinical and behavioral effects of neurofeedback (NFB), very few investigations have been carried out to date on the mechanisms and neurophysiological substrates of EEG-based NFB other than EEG measures. Most NFB involves multiple sessions repeated on at least a weekly basis, whose effects generally accumulate over time, reputedly as a result of neuroplastic changes in the brain (for peak performance at least eight sessions, for clinical application .20) (Doehnert, Brandeis, Straub, Steinhausen, & Drechsler, 2008; Hanslmayr, Sauseng, Doppelmayr, Schabus, & Klimesch, 2005; Lévesque, Beauregard, & Mensour, 2006). Over the years numerous studies have demonstrated behavioral as well as