Everyday mental calculations and dual-task costs: evidences from a behavioral experiment supported by EEG

Background: Very recent studies show that a cognitive-motor interference can expose people not only to a motor danger but also weaken their cognitive capabilities. This effect is called the dual-task cost. One of the most popular examples of it nowadays is the smartphone use while walking, which is well examined. Yet, there are no studies that would analyse to what extent the other high-popular dual-task situation – shopping at the supermarket, weakens cognitive processes. To shed some light on this issue, we investigated a behavioral experiment on everyday mental calculations. Methods: Twenty mathematically-educated adults took part in this study. We used stimuli in the form of shop labels. The participant's task was to add two prices or state the price after a discount. They carried out the tasks by turns, either by standing (single-task) or walking with a shopping basket (dual-task). EEG controlled level of their attention. Results: We found that a cognitive-motor interference do not affected the everyday mental calculations. But, such familiar mental arithmetic as calculating prices after discounts was frighteningly difficult for the participants. Conclusions: While our finding does not confirm the occurrence of dual-task costs in everyday mental calculations, it has profound consequences for a mathematical education, which effects turn out to be useless in real life

Recognizing Human Emotion patterns by applying Fast Fourier Transform based on Brainwave Features

The natural ability of humans to receive messages from the surrounding environment can be obtained through the senses. The senses will respond to stimuli received in various conditions including emotional conditions. Psychologically, recognizing human emotions directly can be assessed from several criteria, such as facial expressions, sounds, or body movements. This research aims to analyze human emotions from the biomedical side through brainwave signals using EEG sensors. The EEG signal obtained will be extracted using Fast Fourier Transform and first-order statistical features. Monitoring of EEG Signals is obtained by grouping based on four emotional conditions (normal, focus, sadness and shock emotions). The results of this research are expected to help improve users in knowing their mental state accurately. The development of this kind of emotional analysis has the potential to create wide applications in the future environment. Research results have shown and compared frequency stimuli from normal emotions, sadness, focus and shock in a variety of situations

A robust brain pattern for brain-based authentication methods using deep breath

Security authentication involves the process of verifying a person's identity. Authentication technology has played a crucial role in data security for many years. However, existing typical biometric authentication technologies exhibit limitations related to usability, time efficiency, and notably, the long-term viability of the method. Recent technological advancements have led to the development of specific devices capable of reproducing human biometrics due to their visibility and tactile nature. Consequently, there is a demand for a new biometric method to address the limitations of current authentication systems. Human brain signals have been utilized in various Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) applications. Nevertheless, this approach also faces challenges related to usability, time efficiency, and most importantly, the stability of the method over time. Studies reveal that the stability of brain patterns poses a significant challenge in EEG-based authentication techniques. Stability refers to the capacity to withstand changes or disruptions, while permanency implies a lasting and unchanging state. Notably, stability can be temporary and subject to fluctuations, whereas permanency suggests a more enduring condition. Research demonstrates that utilizing alpha brainwaves is a superior option for authentication compared to other brainwave types. Many brain states lack stability in different situations. Interestingly, deep breathing can enhance alpha waves irrespective of the brain's current state. To explore the potential of utilizing deep breathing as a security pattern for authentication purposes, an experiment was conducted to investigate its effects on brain activity and its role in enhancing alpha brainwaves. By focusing on bolstering the permanency of brain patterns, our aim is to address the challenges associated with stability in EEG-based authentication techniques. The experimental results exhibited a high success rate of 91 % and 90 % for Support Vector Machine and Neural Network classifiers, respectively. These results suggest that deep breathing not only enhances permanency but could also serve as a suitable option for a brainwave-based authentication method

Functional brain networks: intra and inter-subject variability in healthy individuals and patients with neurological or neuropsychiatric diseases.

The projects of this thesis sits at the intersection between classical neuroscience and aspects related to engineering, signals’ and neuroimaging processing. Each of the three years has been dedicated to specific projects carried out on distinct datasets, groups of individuals/patients and methods, putting great emphasis on multidisciplinarity and international mobility. The studies carried out in Cagliari were based on EEG (electroencephalography), and the one conducted abroad was developed on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. The common thread of the project concerns variability and stability of individuals' features related primarily to functional connectivity and network, as well as to the periodic and aperiodic components of EEG power spectra, and their possible use for clinical purposes. In the first study (Fraschini et al., 2019) we aimed to investigate the impact of some of the most commonly used metrics to estimate functional connectivity on the ability to unveil personal distinctive patterns of inter-channel interaction. In the second study (Demuru et al., 2020) we performed a comparison between power spectral density and some widely used nodal network metrics, both at scalp and source level, with the aim of evaluating their possible association. The first first-authored study (Pani et al., 2020)was dedicated to investigate how the variability due to subject, session and task affects electroencephalogram(EEG) power, connectivity and network features estimated using source-reconstructed EEG time-series of healthy subjects. In the study carried out with the supervision of Prof. Fornito (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pscychresns.2020.111202) during the experience at the Brain, Mind and Society Research Hub of Monash University, partial least square analysis has been applied on fMRI data of an healthy cohort to evaluate how different specific aspects of psychosis-like experiences related to functional connectivity. Due to the pandemic of Sars-Cov-2 it was impossible to continue recording the patients affected by neurological diseases (Parkinson’s, Diskynesia) involved in the study we planned for the third year, that should have replicated the design of the first first-authored one, with the aim of investigate how individual variability/stability of functional brain networks is affected by diseases. For the aforementioned reason, we carried out the last study on a dataset we finished to record in February 2020. The analysis has the aim of investigate whether it is possible by using 19 channels sleep scalp EEG to highlight differences in the brain of patients affected by non-rem parasomnias and sleep-related hypermotor epilepsy, when considering the periodic and aperiodic component of EEG power spectra