The impact of mind-body awareness training on the early learning of a brain-computer interface.
Kaitlin Cassady, Albert You, Alex Doud, Bin He
Technology September 2014 DOI: 10.1142/s233954781450023x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 36 |
| Population | Human volunteers with and without prior experience in yoga and meditation (mind-body awareness training) |
| Duration | Three BCI experiments |
| Key findings | Participants with prior yoga and meditation experience reached competency in controlling a sensorimotor rhythm brain-computer interface significantly faster than those without such experience, and showed greater improvement across several performance measures over time. The authors propose that mind-body awareness training may support BCI learning and inform ways to reduce barriers to BCI fluency. |
Abstract
Brain-computer interface (BCI) systems allow users to interact with their environment by bypassing muscular control to tap directly into the users' thoughts. In the present study, we investigate the role of prior experience with yoga and meditation, examples of formalized mind-body awareness training (MBAT), in learning to use a one-dimensional sensorimotor rhythm based BCI. Thirty-six human subjects volunteered to participate in two different cohorts based on past experience with MBAT - experienced MBAT practitioners and controls. All subjects participated in three BCI experiments to achieve competency in controlling the BCI system. The MBAT cohort achieved BCI competency significantly faster than the control cohort. In addition, the MBAT cohort demonstrated enhanced ability to control the system on various measures of BCI performance and improved significantly more over time when compared to control. Our work provides insight into valuable strategies for reducing barriers to BCI fluency that limit the more widespread use of these systems.
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- Differential Subjective Experiences in Learners and Non-learners in Frontal Alpha Neurofeedback: Piloting a Mixed-Method Approach. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2018
- Immediate effects of short-term meditation on sensorimotor rhythm-based brain–computer interface performance Frontiers in Human Neuroscience December 20, 2022
- Effects of Long-Term Meditation Practices on Sensorimotor Rhythm Based BCI Learning bioRxiv Preprint Server September 9, 2020
- Frontolimbic alpha activity tracks intentional rest BCI control improvement through mindfulness meditation. Scientific Reports March 25, 2021
- Effects of Long-Term Meditation Practices on Sensorimotor Rhythm-Based Brain-Computer Interface Learning Frontiers in Neuroscience January 21, 2021