Tomas Ros

Neuroscience research has recently shown that cognitive training and meditation are able to induce plastic changes in brain function. But, what if the reverse was also possible: to directly train neural activity in order to alter cognition?

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Thanks to novel technologies, humans can learn to self-regulate brain activity using a brain-computer interface, through a so-called "closed feedback loop", which provides instantanous information about the current state of the brain. Neurofeedback typically consists of a computer that records neural oscillations ("brainwaves") with non-invasive electrodes on the scalp, known as an EEG. Brain activity is then processed in real-time and represented visually to the user (i.e. fed-back) on a computer screen, for example through a video game.