Neurofeedback Training For Older Adults

Summary

Symptoms of depression and anxiety are common in older adults and are associated with poor outcomes and the risk of dementia. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is crucial for emotion regulation. Poor PFC function may underlie subclinical depression and anxiety symptoms in older people, which could progress to clinical conditions. Neurofeedback training based on electroencephalography (EEG) or functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) teaches individuals to self-regulate different aspects of brain activity and induce neurocognitive improvements. This proposed project will examine whether prefrontal EEG and fNIRS neurofeedback training programmes can enhance the mood and cognition of older adults with subclinical depression and anxiety.

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

* (i) age of 60-79 years;
* (ii) right-handedness as assessed using the short form of the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (Veale, 2014);
* (iii) a moderate or higher score on at least one of the depression and anxiety subscales (but not necessarily both) of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), which has been shown to yield reliable and valid scores;
* (iv) no history of neurological or psychiatric disorder;
* (v) no history of traumatic brain injury requiring hospitalisation;
* (vi) not currently using psychotropic medication;
* (vii) ability to read Traditional Chinese text;
* (viii) normal or corrected-to-normal vision; and
* (ix) a score of at least 19 on the Hong Kong Montreal Cognitive Assessment

Exclusion Criteria:

* does not fulfill any of the above criteria

Conditions3

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