脑电神经反馈对儿童注意力的作用及神经机制

Attention plays an important role in children's cognitive development and academic performance. EEG neurofeedback has great potential for enhancing children's attention and preventing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, the EEG neurofeedback protocols vary across studies, and the neural mechanism of neurofeedback on children's attention is still unclear yet. Based on the previous research of the applicant, this project aims to further investigate the effects and neural mechanism of EEG neurofeedback on attention for the children with lower attention. Firstly, the EEG features related to children's attention will be identified by analyzing the relationship between attention performance and EEG characteristics during resting state and attentional task state. Secondly, the effects of neurofeedback on attention, cognition and academic performance of children with low attention will be investigated by a randomized controlled study. The neural mechanism of neurofeedback effects on attention will be explored from neurofeedback learning, resting state and task state EEG activities. Finally, follow-up study will be conducted to examine the lasting effects of neurofeedback. The research results can provide theoretical guidance for the design of EEG neurofeedback protocol for children's attention enhancement, provide scientific and empirical basis of neurofeedback for enhancing children's attention, help to understand neural mechanisms of neurofeedback on attention improvement, and has great significance on promoting children's cognitive development and academic performance as well as preventing ADHD.

注意力对儿童认知发展和学业表现具有重要作用，脑电神经反馈可望为增强儿童注意力并预防注意缺陷多动障碍（ADHD）提供可能。然而，文献中神经反馈方案各异，神经反馈对儿童注意力作用的神经机制依然不清晰。本项目在申请人已有研究的基础上，针对注意力较低儿童，深入探讨脑电神经反馈对其注意力的作用及神经机制。首先，分析静息态和注意任务态脑电特征与儿童注意力的关系，识别出儿童注意力的脑电活动指标；然后，针对注意力较低儿童，通过随机对照实验，研究神经反馈对其注意力、认知及学业表现的作用，并从神经反馈学习、静息态和任务态脑电活动探讨神经反馈对注意作用的神经机制；最后，进行追踪研究，检验神经反馈作用的持续性。研究成果可为构建儿童注意力增强的脑电神经反馈方案提供理论指导，为神经反馈增强儿童注意力提供科学和实证依据，有助于深入理解神经反馈增强注意的神经机制，对促进儿童认知发展和学业表现及预防ADHD具有重要意义。

脑电神经反馈是一种无创、安全的脑调控方法，使得个体自主学习调控大脑活动，从而增强相应的认知或行为表现。以往诸多研究利用脑电神经反馈作为注意缺陷多动障碍（ADHD）的干预方法，但是鲜有研究关注正常儿童的注意力，神经反馈对儿童注意力的作用及神经机制依然不清晰。鉴于注意力对儿童认知发展和学业表现具有重要作用，本项目旨在探讨脑电神经反馈对正常儿童的注意力影响及其神经机制。为确定神经反馈训练方案，首先探讨儿童注意力与脑电活动的关系，发现静息态额叶alpha/theta比值以及beta/theta比值正向预测注意抑制能力，该结果在控制儿童年龄与言语能力后依然存在。根据该理论结果，对儿童进行alpha/theta比值增强神经反馈训练预实验。结果发现，虽然注意表现在神经反馈训练后有显著提高，但是alpha/theta神经反馈学习效率有较大个体差异，并且神经反馈学习效率正向预测儿童注意力的改善程度。本项目进一步探讨了抑制theta活动的脑电神经反馈训练对儿童注意力的作用及神经机制。通过随机对照实验发现，theta抑制的神经反馈训练可以降低静息态theta活动，提高儿童注意表现，并且其作用在训练结束一周后依然存在。基于该结果，进一步拓展被试群体到成年被试，检验theta神经反馈作用的年龄普适性。通过随机对照实验，发现theta抑制和提升的神经反馈训练对注意控制有积极作用。研究成果可为构建儿童注意力增强的脑电神经反馈方案提供理论指导，为神经反馈增强儿童注意力提供科学和实证依据，对促进儿童认知发展和学业表现及预防ADHD具有重要意义。