Brain-computer interface training, which uses feedback from electrical activity in the brain, shows promise in improving cognitive function in neuropsychiatric patients with Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, dementia an traumatic brain injury.
A new study, published by Wiley in Advanced Science, indicated that participants were able to modulate their brain electrical activity and improve perception of minor visuomotor errors.
By using electroencephalogram (EEG) tests, researchers were able to track error-related potential (ErrP)—an electrical signature the brain emits when a person recognizes an error by themselves or others.
An element of ErrP is error positivity (Pe) that occurs when a person becomes consciously aware of the error, leading researchers to posit that Pe can be modified with learning to increase perception of visuo-motor errors.
“By decoding the Pe component in real time and feeding it back to participants, we help the brain amplify its own marker of conscious error detection—something conventional training can't do once errors get too subtle to notice,” José del R. Millán, of the University of Texas at Austin and senior author of the study, said in a statement. “That lets us drive learning gains for exactly the small errors that behavioral training alone couldn't touch.”
Over the course of five days of training that required participants to use a joy stick to move a cursor towards a target in a straight line. The cursor trajectory was altered with different rotation magnitudes to introduce a visuo-motor error.
Researchers found Pe amplitude increased overall as participants' error perception improved. Their perception of visuo-motor errors for larger rotations improved but not for smaller rotations.
The brain-interface training increased learning and improved perception of smaller visuo-motor errors with EEG readings showing contributions from the parts of the brain that control decision-making and visuospatial processing.
Researchers said the findings suggest the training is more effective at improving the perception of small visuo-motor errors than conventional behavioral training and safer than pharmacological option.
Possible future application for brain-interface training could include improving cognitive function in neuropsychiatric patients, and boosting responses in motorsport drivers.