BCI-Controlled Motor Imagery Training Can Improve Performance in e-Sports

Abstract

Motor imagery (MI) training can improve motor performance which is widely used in sport training. BCI based on MI can demonstrate the quality of mental efforts via neurofeedback based on sensorimotor activation. Despite numerous studies of MI in context of classical sport, there are no studies aimed at improvement for e-athletes performance. The aim of the study is to evaluate the effect of MI-training on reaction time and velocity in gaming mouse control tasks. The study involved 14 healthy naive volunteers, divided into two subgroups. Experimental subgroup (N = 8) was trained with kinesthetic MI with BCI-visual feedback. The control subgroup (N = 6) had no BCI-feedback. In the speed selection task participants had to click on the correct mouse button. In the fast-clicking task participants should click as fast as they can for one minute. Each task was before (pretest) and after (posttest) MI training. During the training participants imagined finger movements used in actual task executions. During the task executions reaction time was recorded and EEG was recorded during MI training. Performed statistical analysis on a group level included paired comparisons between pretest and posttest (Wilcoxon signed-rank tests). Statistically significant changes (p < 0.05) in the reaction time in speed selection task and reaction velocity in fast clicking task after MI-training in experimental subgroup. Everyone in experimental subgroup had stable ERD during motor imagery, while there were neither differences in reaction time nor in reaction velocity in control group. The obtained results confirm the previously shown effects of motor imagery on sensorimotor performance.