Exploring fNIRS-guided neurofeedback for supplementary motor area training in Parkinson’s disease and healthy older adults

Parkinson's disease (PD) is typically treated with medication, which often leads to side effects. This study investigated a non-pharmacological approach combining motor imagery (MI) with neurofeedback (NFB) guided by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to enhance supplementary motor area (SMA) activation during MI. Three groups (N = 18 each) completed four sessions: a PD-NFB group, a healthy NFB group, and a healthy control group without NFB. The NFB groups received feedback based on decreased Δ[HbR], reflecting increased brain activity. The control group performed MI without feedback. Participants in the NFB groups generally perceived NFB to be manageable. The healthy NFB group showed significantly higher SMA activation than the noNFB group. No significant differences were observed between the PD and healthy NFB groups, or between baseline and NFB-MI in PD. This first fNIRS-guided MI-NFB study in PD (German Clinical Trials Register, DRKS-ID: DRKS00022997, DOR: 2020-10-02). Shows promise for motor rehabilitation, but also highlights further research and protocol refinement.