Long-term paired sensory stimulation training for improved motor imagery BCI performance via pavlovian conditioning theory

In this work, paired sensory stimulation training via pavlovian conditioning (PSSPC) was proposed to improve motor imagery BCI performance, especially targeted in those poor performing BCI users. Motor imagery task was paired with the sensory stimulus to establish the conditioned responses through the long-term classic conditioning training. Three poor performing subjects were recruited to participate the PSSPC experiment lasting for about one month in eight sessions. R² contrast image have shown that the discriminative brain pattern was emerged out in the sensorimotor area of the brain after several sessions training. In addition, up to 80% BCI performance was achieve to some subjects, and it has also shown that learning was evolved in the PSSPC training, complementary to the feedback based training (also termed operant conditioning). The PSSPC methodology has the potential in improving those poor performing BCI subjects, and laid the potential to guide the cortical plastic changes for those with motor impairments.