Sham Biofeedback Procedure
MindLAB Set has been designed also for scientific applications in clinical research; Therefore a specific methodology was developed to implement some sham biofeedback treatment procedures. To achieve this methodology, which is necessary for controlled studies versus placebo, it is necessary to proceed as follows:
Prepare a setting with two monitors, using a laptop computer and a monitor connected with the latter or a desktop PC that comes with vga output for a video projector or a second monitor.
The second monitor will be used by the patient, while the computer will only be visible to the Operator
The setting should be vis vis, with the patient sitting in front of the operator and the second monitor placed on the desk, so that he can read it easily.
You can activate the sham biofeedback procedure by searching on the Main Menu the special function called sham biofeedback. When the monitoring starts, the SCL you and the patiet can read on the monitors is produced, in this case by the software regardless of the actual conductance level of the subject. The value is 4 microsiemens. Subsequently, during the sham training, the operator will cause, without notice and avoiding to be seen by the patint, a raise or a decrease in the SCL, by activating the "Arrow Down" or "Up Arrow" keys on the PC keyboard.
For a biofeedback sham treatment, the operator should do the following:
Measure the patient's baseline electrodermal conductance values ​​first, recording a baseline session.
Implement biofeedback sham sessions using the "sham biofeedback" procedure.
During these sessions it is necessary to emulate a progressive decrease in the electrodermal conductance, using the "biofeedback demo" controls without the patient's knowledge, in order to simulate a reduction in the arusal, but this will not thereby contingent on the real changes made by skin conductance level.
What the patient will see on the monitor, as well as the acoustic feedback he will hear, will not be contingent on what is happening at the arcing level and this makes a condition of sham biofeedback treatment.
