Spectral modulation of frontal EEG during motor skill acquisition: A mobile EEG study

• EEG was collected using a single dry sensor wireless mobile EEG system.
• Simultaneous monitoring of brain activity during an unconstrained motor task
• Significant decrease of delta, theta and gamma activities after repeated practice
• Familiarity monitoring using single sensor mobile EEG system is possible.

This study investigates the modulation of frontal EEG dynamics with respect to progress in motor skill acquisition using a wireless EEG system with a single dry sensor. Participants were required to complete repeated trials of a computerized visual-motor task similar to mirror drawing while the EEG was collected. In each trial, task performance of the participants was summarized with a familiarity index which took into account the performance accuracy, completion rate and time. Our findings demonstrated that certain EEG power spectra decreased with an increase in motor task familiarity. In particular, frontal EEG activities in delta and theta bands of the whole trial and in gamma band in the middle of the trial are having a significant negative relationship with the overall familiarity level of the task. The findings suggest that frontal EEG spectra are significantly modulated during motor skill acquisition. Results of this study shed light on the possibility of simultaneous monitoring of brain activity during an unconstrained natural task with a single dry sensor mobile EEG in an everyday environment.