Brain, sleep and memory · 1 min read
After guiding a brain signal, a connection changed the next day
Using a visual display, 20 people tried to direct their brain signal in opposite directions. The next day, one pathway between the two sides showed a localized change.
The study, in plain language
A screen gave each participant feedback about their own brain activity while they moved a hand. With that feedback, they tried to direct the signals in opposite directions. The team observed what happened during the session and what appeared the next day.
Participants managed to modify activity in the indicated direction. Twenty-four hours later, localized and opposite changes appeared in measures of a pathway connecting the two sides of the brain. Those differences appeared with real activity feedback, not with simulated feedback in the comparison group.
The key idea
Participants managed to guide a hand-related brain signal, and the next day a connection between the hemispheres showed measurable changes.
Something to think about
Think about how many things in your body you cannot see in real time. Here, seeing one’s own signal on a screen made it possible to guide it. The study does not show whether the change lasts.
The original study
fMRI neurofeedback in the motor system elicits bidirectional changes in activity and in white matter structure in the adult human brain
Source under CC BY 4.0. English adaptation and explanation by PaperFlow, with AI assistance. The text has been reorganized for a general audience; it is not the complete paper and does not imply endorsement by its authors.
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