The CrossBrain Neurofeedback Platform with High Ecological Validity#br#
1 State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
2 Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053, China
Abstract：In this work we proposed a novel concept of crossbrain neurofeedback, extending neurofeedback research from regulation of neural activities of a single brain to that of neural synchronization of two interacting brains. This article describes the design and implementation of two sets of functional nearinfrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) based twoperson neurofeedback platforms with high ecological validity: 1) platform based on a single fNIRS recording system at one location and 2) an internetbased platform connecting two fNIRS recording systems at different locations. Each platform simultaneously records two participants’ neural signals, calculates the neural synchronization index in realtime, and feeds back the index to the participants through a visualization. The feedback information enables participants to try different regulation strategies to voluntarily control their neural synchronization, which may lead to changes in social cognition and behavior. In an application of single fNIRS based platform, HbO signals in the specific brain regions of two subjects were so much alike, indicating that their neuro activities were synchronized. Moreover, in preliminary experiment for the internetbased platform, two subjects performed collaboration task. The ball in the most of the time is maintained between two dotted lines, which implied two subjects were in synchronization. Preliminary experiments demonstrating that both participants successfully regulated and synchronized their brain activities in a social interaction situation validate our fNIRSbased crossbrain neurofeedback platform.
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