Near-Infrared Spectroscopy based Neurofeedback Training increases Specific Motor Imagery Related Cortical Activation compared to Sham Feedback

No clue on this one, your doctor and therapists had better know what this means and use it to help you recover.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301051113001233

Abstract

In the present study we implemented a real-time feedback system based on multichannel near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Prior studies indicated that NIRS-based neurofeedback can enhance motor imagery related cortical activation. To specify these prior results and to confirm the efficacy of NIRS based neurofeedback training, we examined changes in blood oxygenation level collected in eight NIRS neurofeedback training sessions. The study design differentiated between a feedback group (N = 9) that got real feedback about their own brain activity and a sham feedback group (N = 8) that saw a playback of another person's feedback recording. All participants were instructed to imagine a right hand movement to control the vertical position of a ball displayed on a computer screen. Real neurofeedback induced specific and focused brain activation over left motor areas. This focal brain activation became even more specific over the eight training sessions. In contrast, sham feedback led to diffuse brain activation patterns over the whole cortex. These findings indicate that NIRS-based real-time neurofeedback induces focused activation in specific brain areas which can be useful when training patients with focal brain lesions to increase activity of specific brain areas for rehabilitation purpose.