Brain-Computer Interfaces symposium - Prof. Mannes Poel & Prof. Russell Chan, University of Twente

Prof. Mannes Poel

Title: Brain Computer Interaction

Abstract: In this talk, an overview will be presented of the research in Brain Computer Interaction for non-medical or non-health applications at the CS department at the University of Twente. The overview will start with the research on BCI and Games taking HCI requirements into consideration and will end with an overview of our current research on mental state detection.

Prof. Russell Chan

Title: Oscillatory dynamics supporting the neurobiology of motor sequence learning

Abstract:

Event-related desynchronization and synchronization (ERD/S) are important time-frequency predictors for motor-sequence learning (MSL). Activation levels reflect changes in coherent activity over the cortex and shifting regional activity may provide insight to how motor sequence learning reaches automation. We predicted that learning leads to different frequency band dominance during motor preparation, motoric and post-motor phases of MSL. We investigated 25 participants that performed five learning blocks of a 6-key Go/No-go version of the Discrete Sequence Performance task. EEG was recorded using a 32-channel actiCHamp amplifier. We extracted ERD/S values for all sequence trials in three separate bands: theta (4-8Hz), alpha (8- 12Hz) and beta (12-29Hz) in 100ms time windows for epochs of interests: preparation, motoric and post-motor. Theta oscillatory activity was dominant during preparation and motoric phases whilst beta activity was dominant during the post-motor phase after training. This talk will continue to develop linkages of oscillatory activity to behavioural phenomenon of chunking and how certain changes could be used to predict training alterations.