M1-PMd connectivity modulation via fMRI-neurofeedback

Poster Session C - Sunday, April 14, 2024, 5:00 – 7:00 pm EDT, Sheraton Hall ABC

Marine Keime¹ (m.keime.1@research.gla.ac.uk), Zeena-Britt Sanders², Triin Ojakaar², Cassandra Sampaio-Baptista^1,2; ¹University of Glasgow, ²University of Oxford

Neurofeedback (NF) used at rest could serve as a mean to explore the connection between resting state connectivity, task-related connectivity, and task performance. Evidence shows greater M1-PMd connectivity is associated with superior performance in action selection. However, the causal relationship has not been thoroughly examined. Therefore, this study aimed to determine if M1-PMd connectivity could be modulated through covert fMRI-NF during rest, subsequently affecting cognitive-motor function. 20 adults took part in this counterbalanced within-subject double-blind study. Participants were trained covertly with fMRI-NF in two separate conditions to increase and decrease M1-PMd connectivity. The NF training was conducted in a 3T MRI scanner and, as a covert training, participants were just instructed that the higher the feedback bar was, the more money they would earn. No main effect of condition nor run and no condition*run interaction effect was found on M1-PMd connectivity modulation during NF. This hence did not lead to the expected behavioural changes in cognitive-motor function. A positive correlation between reward sensitivity and NF performance in the decrease condition was found. We conclude that the lack of effects found here could be due to ceiling effect of M1-PMd connectivity, and that more training could lead to the desired results.

Topic Area: METHODS: Neuroimaging