According to research published in Science Daily, learning was improved when information was presented at a rate that matched people’s internal clocks. Cambridge researchers hope these tactics will allow people to keep their “neuroplasticity” (the ability to learn even after brain cell development has stopped) for much longer.
According to the study’s principal author, a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge, “each brain has its unique rhythm, formed by the oscillation of neurons working together.” Researchers created these oscillations because they believe that the optimal environment for the human brain’s continuous growth and expansion is one in which it is in tune with itself.
“Our brains can quickly create new connections among pre-existing neurons due to this plasticity, allowing us to learn and adapt to new environments. Brainwave patterns may improve learning flexibility from infancy to old age.” Kourtzi mentioned. Eighty volunteers took part in this study by having electroencephalography (EEG) sensors affixed to their skulls to monitor their brains’ electrical activity and collect samples of their brainwave patterns. The team investigated alpha waves. When we are awake, and at peace, this frequency near the middle of the electromagnetic spectrum is most dominant.
Alpha waves have a frequency of 8 to 12 hertz and a length of 85 to 125 ms. However, the precise alpha frequency an individual performs varies significantly between individuals. Researchers were able to generate an optical “pulse” in the shape of a white square flashing on a black backdrop at the same frequency as each participant’s distinct alpha wave using these readings. Giving participants a 1.5-second dosage of tailored pulse to “entrain” their brains to their usual pace enhanced their performance on an arduous rapid-fire cognitive task (trying to detect particular shapes among a torrent of visual garbage).
A brainwave cycle has a peak and a low point. Some study participants received pulses timed to the peaks of their waves, whereas others received completely irregular rhythms or substantially out of sync (a little faster or slower). While neuroscientists tracked their progress, each participant did the mental exercise roughly 800 times. Those who could identify and build on their strengths and limitations learned at least three times more quickly than their counterparts. Those who learned the tasks faster when entrainment was in place continued to excel the next day when new tasks were assigned.
“It was remarkable to identify the specific circumstances you require to achieve this huge spike in learning,” said Dr. Elizabeth Michael, the study’s first author and a member of Cambridge’s Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit. Even though “the intervention” is merely a quick on-screen flash, “when we achieve the proper frequency plus the precise phase synchronization,” it appears to have a significant and long-lasting effect.
Brainwave entrainment is most effective when the pulses coincide with the wave’s trough. This neuron’s life cycle stage is thought to be the most sensitive. According to the study’s co-author, Professor Victoria Leong of NTU and Cambridge’s Department of Pediatrics, our brains constantly take snapshots of our surroundings and then use neuronal communication to piece together the big picture, even though we may appear to be paying close attention all of the time.
Researchers at Leong’s Baby-LINC lab revealed that during mother-infant interactions, both adult’s and children’s brain waves synchronize. According to Leong, the efficiency of the strategy utilized in the current study can be attributed to the fact that it is highly similar to how we learn as neonates. By examining interactions between parents and newborns, researchers like Leong hope to gain insight into a process that allows the brain to respond to temporal cues from the environment.
“Adults frequently speak more slowly and dramatically to better interact with young children (a technique known as “child-directed speech”). According to the findings of this study, speaking with youngsters may be a simple strategy to entrain their slower brain waves and improve their cognitive capacity for learning.”
Even though the current study was confined to visual perception, the researchers are sure that the processes they discovered are “domain universal,” which means they may be used to learning in a broad range of circumstances and activities, including auditory ones.
Brainwave entrainment may appear to be science fiction, but its developers say it is becoming more feasible. Despite the use of advanced EEG equipment in the study, Kourtzi points out that an essential headband device may now quickly detect brain frequencies.
One of the earliest applications of brainwave entrainment to increase learning might be in training professionals such as pilots or surgeons who require quick learning and decision-making. Using pulses that sync with brainwaves in these virtual environments may benefit new students and seasoned learners undergoing retraining.
