A single session of EEG-neurofeedback training can increase the occurrence of non-harmonic alpha-theta brainwave patterns during focused attention meditation, an effect that persists after training ends. Thirty participants received 25 minutes each of experimental training (auditory feedback when non-harmonic alpha-theta patterns were detected) and sham training (unrelated feedback). The increase in these brainwave patterns occurred across the whole scalp, not just at the training site, and was linked to improvements in depressive mood. People with higher depressive mood at the start showed stronger training effects. The findings suggest neurofeedback could help train brainwave patterns relevant to meditation, especially for those with depressive symptoms.
Alpha power can be trained up or down using neurofeedback combined with focused-attention meditation, but up-regulation is harder to achieve than down-regulation in a single session. In a within-subject experiment with 31 novice practitioners (25 women, mean age 23.16), participants attempted to increase or decrease global alpha power while focusing attention above the crown of the head and receiving auditory feedback. Alpha power was overall higher during up-regulation than down-regulation trials, but this difference came mainly from successful reduction of alpha during down-regulation; up-regulation did not significantly increase alpha. Training effects did not persist during a post-training resting-state recording, suggesting that more sessions are needed for lasting change.