Mindfulness Improves Brain–Computer Interface Performance by Increasing Control Over Neural Activity in the Alpha Band

Abstract

Brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) are promising tools for assisting patients with paralysis, but suffer from long training times and variable user proficiency. Mind–body awareness training (MBAT) can improve BCI learning, but how it does so remains unknown. Here, we show that MBAT allows participants to learn to volitionally increase alpha band neural activity during BCI tasks that incorporate intentional rest. We trained individuals in mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR; a standardized MBAT intervention) and compared performance and brain activity before and after training between randomly assigned trained and untrained control groups. The MBAT group showed reliably faster learning of BCI than the control group throughout training. Alpha-band activity in electroencephalogram signals, recorded in the volitional resting state during task performance, showed a parallel increase over sessions, and predicted final BCI performance. The level of alpha-band activity during the intentional resting state correlated reliably with individuals’ mindfulness practice as well as performance on a breath counting task. Collectively, these results show that MBAT modifies a specific neural signal used by BCI. MBAT, by increasing patients' control over their brain activity during rest, may increase the effectiveness of BCI in the large population who could benefit from alternatives to direct motor control.

Vividness of Visual Imagery and Personality Impact Motor-Imagery Brain Computer Interfaces

“…Users who were more comfortable with technology tended to perform better in the study of Burde and Blankertz (2006). Experience with mindfulness training also improves BCI performance as it strengthens similar brain activity patterns (Stieger et al, 2021).…”

Continuous sensorimotor rhythm based brain computer interface learning in a large population

“…The main goals of our original study were to characterize how individuals learn to control SMR-BCIs and to test whether this learning can be improved through behavioral interventions such as mindfulness training 30 . Participants were initially assessed for baseline BCI proficiency and then randomly assigned to an 8-week mindfulness intervention (Mindfulness-based stress reduction), or waitlist control condition where participants waited for the same duration as the MBSR class before starting BCI training, but were offered a comparable MBSR course after completing all experimental requirements 46 .…”

“…Imagine both hands opening and closing to move the cursor up. Finally, to move the cursor down, voluntarily rest; in other words, clear your mind.” In separate blocks of trials, participants directed the cursor toward a target that required left/right (LR) movement only, up/down (UD) only, and combined 2D movement (2D) 30 . Each experimental block (LR, UD, 2D) consisted of 3 runs, where each run was composed of 25 trials.…”

“…However, mastery of SMR-BCIs requires extensive training, and even after training, 15–20% of the population remain unable to control these devices 27 , 29 . While the reasons for this remain obscure, the strength of the resting SMR has been found to predict BCI proficiency, and evidence suggests that the resting SMR can be enhanced through behavioral interventions such as mindfulness training 30 – 32 . Alternatively, better decoding strategies can also improve BCI performance 33 , 34 .…”

“…We recently collected, to our knowledge, the largest SMR-BCI dataset to date 30 . In total, this dataset comprises 62 participants, 598 individual BCI sessions, and over 600 hours of high-density EEG recordings (64 channels) from 269,099 trials.…”