A Multisensory Neurofeedback�Based Immersive BCI Paradigm for Emotion Regulation
Lianchi Zhang, Bowen Fu, Shoucheng Yang, Jingting Zhang, Zonghai Huang, Rui Huang, Hong Cheng
AI summary
Problem
Existing BCI paradigms for cognitive rehabilitation lack sufficient sensory activation and mind-body feedback, limiting user engagement and training efficiency.
Approach
The authors developed a panoramic VR-based BCI system that maps real-time EEG indices of negative emotion to synchronized visual, auditory, and motor feedback, guiding users through cognitive reappraisal.
Key results
- Enhanced motor-cognitive interaction and multisensory coordination
- Increased brain activation in visual, auditory, motor, and prefrontal cortex regions
- Boosted high-intensity functional connections by 28.6% and effective connections by 42.3% versus conventional paradigms
- Validated through ERP, PSD, and brain network analyses across five participants
Why it matters
Offers a highly engaging, effective framework for closed-loop cognitive rehabilitation and emotion regulation training that leverages immersive multisensory feedback.
Abstract
Enhancing brain activation efficiency is crucial in developing brain computer interface (BCI) paradigm for cognitive rehabilitation. However, the existing BCI paradigms mostly achieved limited sensory-activation without sufficient feedback of mind and body, significantly limiting the user engagement and training efficiency. In this study, we propose a novel multisensory neurofeedback framework to develop an immersive BCI paradigm for emotion regulation, supported by a novel panoramic motion-based virtual reality system. The paradigm is designed to promote deeper cognitive and physical involvement in functional brain training. It delivers multisen- sory neurofeedback—visual, auditory, and motor—through the Gait Real-time Analysis Interactive Lab system and incorpo- rates cognitive reappraisal from the modified Gross procedure for emotion regulation. Its effectiveness is validated through three experimental studies, including event-related potential analysis, power spectral density analysis, and brain network analysis. The results demonstrate that the paradigm enhances motor–cognitive interaction and multisensory coordination, ef- fectively increasing brain activation in visual, auditory, and motor processing regions, and further promoting stronger engagement of emotion regulation-related areas such as the prefrontal cortex. Compared with conventional paradigms, the proposed paradigm increases the number of high-intensity functional connections by 28.6% (from 42 to 54) and the number of effective functional connections by 42.3% (from 71 to 101).