Investigating short windows of interbrain synchrony: A step toward fNIRS-based hyperfeedback

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Human Interaction Studies
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Social interaction is crucial for human well-being.
• Interbrain synchrony correlates with positive social interaction outcomes.
• Neurofeedback offers potential for training brain activity and enhancing synchrony.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of measuring interbrain synchrony in short time windows using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).
• To determine if wavelet transform coherence can be accurately computed in brief intervals for neurofeedback applications.
• To lay the groundwork for a real-time fNIRS-based system for interbrain synchrony feedback.

Main Methods:

• Generated artificial dyadic interaction data with varying noise levels.
• Re-processed two existing human-interaction datasets.
• Computed wavelet transform coherence for interbrain synchrony in short, variable window sizes and assessed significance.

Main Results:

• Wavelet transform coherence can be accurately assessed in short time windows (approximately 1 minute) for interbrain synchrony.
• Findings were consistent across both artificial and real human interaction data.
• The feasibility of using short windows aligns with intermittent neurofeedback protocols.

Conclusions:

• Short-window assessment of interbrain synchrony using fNIRS is viable.
• This research is a foundational step towards real-time neurofeedback for enhancing social interaction.
• Future development of fNIRS-based neurofeedback systems to improve interbrain synchrony is supported.