Psychogenic Seizure, Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe, Health, Subjective
Conditions
Keywords
sense of agency
Brief summary
This study investigates whether the sense of agency is sensitive to self-regulation by means of EEG-based neurofeedback. During neurofeedback, the brain activity in response to a motor task is recorded in real-time and displayed back to the participants. The participants can therefore use this information to adapt their performance on the motor task.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALReal Neurofeedback
During neurofeedback, the brain activity in response to a motor task is recorded in real-time and displayed back to the participants.
BEHAVIORALSham Neurofeedback
During sham neurofeedback, a signal which resembles the participant's brain activity is used instead of the actual brain activity.
Sponsors
Swiss Epilepsy Centre - Klinik Lengg
ETH Zurich
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Investigator)
Intervention model description
Two arms will be investigated. The first one will receive real neurofeedback. The second one will receive sham neurofeedback (comparator). During sham neurofeedback, a signal which resembles the participant's brain activity is used instead of the actual brain activity.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
(all): * Aged \> 18 years old * Normal or corrected-to-normal visual acuity * Willing to participate in the study (by signing the informed consent form) * Neither caffein, nor alcohol intake 48 hours prior to the experiment * Regular intake of drugs (except oral contraceptives in women) * Employed by, or in a dependent relationship with, the sponsor and / or the investigator(s) * Sufficient knowledge of German or English to understand study documents and instructions. Inclusion Criteria (patients): * A diagnosis of temporal epilepsy (TE), documented via video EEG. OR * A diagnosis of psychogenic non-epileptic seizure (PNES), according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), and documented via video EEG.
Exclusion criteria
(all): * Past surgery in the brain * History of alcohol or drug abuse * Incompatibility with EEG recordings, e.g., inability to stay seated for 90 minutes.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Electrophysiological data, i.e., EEG power in alpha band | Before and immediately after neurofeedback | Brain activity |
| Change in Electrophysiological data, i.e., EEG power in theta band | Before and immediately after neurofeedback | Brain activity |
| Change in Electrophysiological data, i.e., EEG power in gamma band | Before and immediately after neurofeedback | Brain activity |
| Change in the subjective perception of the Sense of Agency, i.e., visual analog scale assessing how much control participants feel over the game | Before and immediately after neurofeedback | Behavioural performance in response to manipulation of the Sense of Agency (SoA) |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Anxiety | Before neurofeedback | Baseline variable assessed with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Minimum value (20) = no anxiety. Maximum value (80) = high anxiety. |
| Mood | Before neurofeedback | Baseline variable assessed with a visual analog scale. Minimum value (0) = bad mood. Maximum value (100) = good mood. |
| Age in years | Before neurofeedback | Baseline variable |
| Daily rate of cigarettes | Before neurofeedback | Baseline variable assessed in number of cigarettes/day |
| Sleep habits | Before neurofeedback | Baseline variable assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Minimum value (0) = good sleep quality. Maximum value (20) = poor sleep quality. |
| Sex (male/female) | Before neurofeedback | Baseline variable |
| Years of education | Before neurofeedback | Baseline variable |
| Medication status | Before neurofeedback | Baseline variable, list of drugs currently in use by the participant |
Countries
Switzerland
Outcome results
None listed