AUTHOR=Zeng Lingwei , Gai Lidong , Sun Kewei , Yuan Yimeng , Gao Yuntao , Wang Hui , Wang Xiucao , Wen Zhihong 

TITLE=The emergent property of inhibitory control: implications of intermittent network-based fNIRS neurofeedback training

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Human Neuroscience

VOLUME=Volume 19 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/human-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2025.1513304

DOI=10.3389/fnhum.2025.1513304

ISSN=1662-5161

ABSTRACT=BackgroundStudies have shown that inhibitory control is supported by frontal cortex and small-world brain networks. However, it remains unclear how regulating the topology changes the inhibitory control. We investigated the effects of small-worldness upregulation training on resting-state networks via fNIRS neurofeedback training, which will contribute to a deeper insight of inhibitory control.MethodsA five-day training session was used to regulate the small-worldness of the frontal cortex, and the color-word Stroop task was tested before and after training. Fifty healthy adults were recruited and randomly assigned to the sham feedback group (sham group), or intermittent fNIRS-based brain network feedback group (fNIRS-NF group). On the basis of the exclusion of incomplete data, 45 valid data sets were retained and analyzed (sham: 21, fNIRS-NF: 24).ResultsTraining increased resting-state small-worldness and improved Stroop task performance, with a significant correlation between these changes (r = −0.32, p = 0.032). The fNIRS-NF group exhibited reduced hemodynamic activation (βvalue decreased, indicating lower cognitive load) during posttest and follow-up. Notably, the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) showed greater intra-regional connectivity increases than the left dlPFC, suggesting asymmetric plasticity.ConclusionIntermittent fNIRS neurofeedback effectively modulates resting-state small-world networks and enhances inhibitory control, with effects sustained for at least one week. These findings highlight small-worldness as a novel target for cognitive interventions.