Feedback Regulation of the Alpha Electroencephalogram Activity through Control of the Internal and External Parameters*

Erik Peper

doi:10.5298/1081-5937-46.4.86

Article Contents

Introduction
Approach 1. Oculomotor Functions
Approach 2. Internal Feedback Loop Changes
Approach 3. External Feedback Loop Changes
Approach 4. Autoregulation of the EEG
Conclusion

Editorial Type:

Article Category: Research Article

Online Publication Date: Dec 01, 2018

Feedback Regulation of the Alpha Electroencephalogram Activity through Control of the Internal and External Parameters^*

Page Range: 86 – 93

DOI: 10.5298/1081-5937-46.4.86

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Summary. Experiments with feedback stimulation triggered from the subject's electroencephalogram result in changing the sequential time series of intervals of occipital alpha and intervals of little or no alpha EEG activity. The rate of recurrence of alpha and no-alpha EEG can be changed by regulating the external feedback stimuli or by asking the subject to change his internal state. Four different paradigms were investigated and the results interpreted in terms of the hypothesis that oculomotor functions regulate the occurrence and nonoccurrence of alpha.

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Fig. 1.

Flow diagram of electroencephalographic alpha feedback loop

Fig. 2.

Tracking of target in which target luminance is contingent upon the subject's no-alpha EEG

Fig. 3.

Tracking of target in which target luminance is contingent upon the subject's alpha EEG

Fig. 4.

Tracking of target in which experimenter changes contingency of target luminance from no-alpha to alpha occurrence

Fig. 5.

(a) Time series of attention, no-attention subjective state for 35ΔT alpha/ΔT no-alpha periods using a slow ON/OFF-set light. (b) Time series of attention, no-attention subjective state for 35ΔT alpha/ΔT no-alpha periods using a fast ON/OFF-set light

Fig. 6.

Time series of picture and imagination conditions. P₁ is a slide of a nude. I₁ asks the subject to imagine a nude picture when a white light occurs. Both picture and light visibility are contingent upon the subject's alpha occurrence

Fig. 7.

Time series of picture and imagination conditions. P₂ is a picture of a flower. I₂ asks the subject to imagine the picture of the flower when a white light occurs. Both picture and light visibility are contingent upon the subject's alpha occurrence

Fig. 8.

Mean alpha production in seconds for 2-min trials (for first session of subjects with their eyes closed who participated more than once and showed control)

Contributor Notes

^* This work was supported by NIGMS Grants 5 POI GM 14940-04 and GM15006-03.

^† Most of this research was conducted at the Perception Laboratory, Veterans' Administration Hospital, Bedford, Massachusetts, with the cooperation of Dr. Thomas B. Mulholland.

Mr. Erik Peper Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Research Laboratory of Electronics, Room 20 B - 202 A, Cambridge, Mass. 02139, USA

Reprinted by permission from: Springer Nature, Kybernetik. Feedback Regulation of the Alpha Electroencephalogram Activity through Control of the Internal and External Parameters, Peper, E., © Copyright 1970 Jul; 7(3):107–12.