Neurofeedback facilitation of implicit motor learning

•Mu (8–12 Hz) synchronisation was reduced at motor cortex through voluntary control, utilising EEG neurofeedback.•Performance on an implicit motor learning task was assessed before and directly after one session of neurofeedback.•Compared to a “non-intervention” condition, neurofeedback was associated with a significantly faster rate of learning.•This may be a promising approach to boost implicit learning in patients with motor disorders such as stroke.

BackgroundMu 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.MethodThe 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.ResultsCompared 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.ConclusionOur 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.