Abstract

Dr. Sarah Meissner

Arousal self-regulation through pupil-based biofeedback: from its development to future directions

The brain’s arousal state is controlled by several neuromodulatory nuclei known to substantially influence core behavioural functions and mental well-being. In recent studies, we investigated whether healthy individuals can gain volitional control of their arousal state using pupil-based biofeedback. This approach inverts the previously established link between activity of arousalregulating centers in the brainstem, such as the locus coeruleus, and pupil dynamics. We have shown that applying pupil-based biofeedback systematically modulates (1) activity of the locus coeruleus and other brainstem structures involved in arousal control, (2) cortical and cardiovascular arousal markers, (3) cortical excitability, and (4) behavioural responses during a simple attention task. Making the brain’s arousal system accessible to volitional control has a large potential for translation to clinical applications across various domains. Future studies are key to better understand the neurobiological mechanism of arousal self-regulation and to demonstrate that tapping into this mechanism modulates dysregulated arousal states.