Covert neurofeedback without awareness shapes cortical network spontaneous connectivity

Abstract

Recent advances in blood oxygen level-dependent-functional MRI (BOLD-fMRI)-based neurofeedback reveal that participants can modulate neuronal properties. However, it is unknown whether such training effects can be introduced in the absence of participants-awareness that they are being trained. Here, we show unconscious neurofeedback training, which consequently produced changes in functional connectivity, introduced in participants who received positive and negative rewards that were covertly coupled to activity in two category-selective visual cortex regions. The results indicate that brain networks can be modified even in the complete absence of intention and awareness of the learning situation, raising intriguing possibilities for clinical interventions.