Phase synchronization
Research Papers
EEG alpha oscillations: The inhibition–timing hypothesis
The traditional belief is that the event-related alpha response can solely be described in terms of suppression or event-related desynchronization (ERD). Recent research, however, has shown that under certain conditions alpha responds reliably with an increase in amplitudes (event-related synchronization or ERS). ERS is elicited in situations, where subjects withhold or control the execution of a response and is obtained over sites that probably are under, or exert top-down control. Thus, we assume that alpha ERS reflects top-down, inhibitory control processes. This assumption leads over to the timing aspect of our hypothesis. By the very nature of an oscillation, rhythmic amplitude changes reflect rhythmic changes in excitation of a population of neurons. Thus, the time and direction of a change – described by phase – is functionally related to the timing of neuronal activation processes. A variety of findings supports this view and shows, e.g., that alpha phase coherence increases between task-relevant sites and that phase lag lies within a time range that is consistent with neuronal transmission speed. Another implication is that phase reset will be a powerful mechanism for the event-related timing of cortical processes. Empirical evidence suggests that the extent of phase locking is a functionally sensitive measure that is related to cognitive performance. Our general conclusion is that alpha ERS plays an active role for the inhibitory control and timing of cortical processing whereas ERD reflects the gradual release of inhibition associated with the emergence of complex spreading activation processes.
View Full Paper →Attention and neurofeedback synchrony training: Clinical results and their significance
Previous research on information processing by the primate brain prompted further investigation of phase synchronized alpha brain wave activity at five loci in humans. The results of this investigation indicated that a particular form of attention was associated with production of whole brain synchrony. Method. Patients were treated with a dual approach, a systematic program of attention training coupled with the regular practice of multi channel alpha phase synchrony training. One hundred thirty-two clinical patients were treated for a variety of stress related symptom categories by six therapists in different locations. Patients were rated for symptom intensity, frequency and duration. Results. It was found that learning to develop this particular form of attention, coupled with the regular practice of multi-channel alpha phase synchrony were effective in resolving many common stress related disorders. Analysis of 132 cases using this dual approach found that more than 90 percent of the patients reported an alleviation of symptoms. These positive results were found with stress-induced headache, joint pain, and gastrointestinal disease. Conclusion. The authors propose that there exists a common mechanism operating in these widely different successful applications; to wit, attentional flexibility, which is achieved through systematic practice of audio taped attention exercises and neurofeedback phase synchrony training. Patients who participated in this program generally reported experiencing a release from their symptoms and from emotional conditioned responses in favor of more flexibility and more stable homeostasis. The significance of this “release experience” is discussed and attention-neurofeedback training is compared to other interventions, which rely exclusively on peripheral modalities of biofeedback training
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