title: Neurofeedback facilitation of implicit motor learning.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mu rhythm desynchronisation via EEG-neurofeedback (NFB) has been previously been shown to induce durable motor-cortical disinhibition for at least 20 min. It was hypothesised that the presentation of a novel procedural learning task immediately after this NFB protocol would boost motor performance.
  
  
  METHODS
  The protocol consisted of firstly activating the right primary motor cortex with a single session of Mu (8-12 Hz) suppression via NFB for a total of 30 min. Shortly after, and with their non-dominant (left) hand, subjects (n=10) performed the serial reaction time task (SRTT), which is used to assess reaction time improvement over multiple trials. During another occasion (1 week before/after), the same subjects were tested on a different sequence without prior NFB, as part of a counterbalanced control condition.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to a "cross-over" condition without NFB, subjects who received NFB immediately prior to SRTT performance exhibited a significantly faster rate of learning, reflected in a greater reduction of reaction times across blocks (p=0.02). This occurred in the absence of explicit awareness of a repeating sequence. Moreover, no significant differences were observed between conditions in error rate or reaction time variability.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that a single NFB session may be directly used to facilitate the early acquisition of a procedural motor task, and are the first to demonstrate that neurofeedback effects could be exploited immediately after individual training sessions so as to boost behavioural performance and learning.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Neurology and Imaging of Cognition, Department of Fundamental Neurosciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland. Electronic address: dr.t.ros@gmail.com.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ros
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Radboud University, Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M A M
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Munneke
authors.affiliation: Brainhealth, The Diagnostic Clinic, London, UK.
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Parkinson
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Gruzelier
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058765:Neurofeedback / Q000379:methods*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Brain–computer interface (BCI); Electroencephalogram (EEG); Neurofeedback; Primary motor cortex; Procedural learning; SRTT