Neurofeedback in Schools: An Examination of the Role of Automatic Artifact Removal During Training

• In Event: The Use of Technology in Special Education

Abstract

Neurofeedback, also known as electroencephalographic (EEG) biofeedback, has been used as in intervention to address symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder since the 1970s. This paper will discuss the findings of a pilot study that examined EEG “artifact” – electrical activity generated through muscle activity that is not associated with brainwaves. The presence of artifact inserts additional signals that are detected by the EEG equipment used to train brainwaves and, therefore, may impair the efficacy of NF training. This training process is traditionally done without any control for eye movement, eye blink, or muscle tension artifacts. However, these muscle-based events generate electrical activity that interfere with the ability to accurately read brainwaves, thus potentially diminishing the effect of NF training.

Author

• Jeffry P. La Marca, Seton Hall University