Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) Neurofeedback for Beginners: An Overview of the Concept and Technical Aspects.

fMRI Neurofeedback (NFB) is an advanced imaging method that allows subjects to volitionally regulate brain activity by monitoring the real-time feedback of brain activation in the MR scanner. The technical threshold of fMRI NFB is usually considered higher than traditional task-based fMRI, as it requires a higher level of integration among the scanner, data server (back-end), presentation computer (front-end), and other scanning components in real-time.

This presentation will target the broader audience who’s interested in this approach, and we’ll start with an introduction of the basic concept of fMRI-NFB through a couple of typical NFB projects by our research group. A detailed example of an NFB project will be reviewed to help explain several key questions, including how to define the NFB signal, how to determine the activated brain region, what’s the typical paradigm of the fMRI-NFB task, and potential application. Then, through these projects, we will illustrate the evolution of the fMRI-NFB project, including both experiment design and technical considerations.

Finally, we will focus on the technical aspects, explaining the main components of NFB study, including 1) fMRI data acquisition and imaging protocol setup, 2) back-end, real-time data processing and region of interest selection, 3) frontend, the brain-computer interface for feedback presentation and interaction with participants, and 4) the feedback loop that connects these key components in real-time. We will cover current achievements and technical challenges will be discussed during this introduction.

The key message is to give an essential introduction for the audience to understand fMRI-NFB and form the basic foundation for further education sessions.