Changes in Functional Connectivity of Electroencephalography While Learning to Touch-Type

The functional brain connectivity of electroencephalography (EEG) data that was acquired during the process of learning how to touch-type using the Colemak keyboard distribution is analyzed in this paper. The partial directed coherence (PDC) of the EEG in alpha, beta, and gamma rhythms was used to assess the functional brain connectivity at different learning stages. As a result, connectivity patterns common to the volunteers of the learning process are found to be representative of underlying brain processes. In particular, functional connectivity within the alpha brain rhythm in low-difficulty learning tasks exhibits the greatest desynchronization in the parietal lobes, which may be an indication of good performance during those tests. Widespread increase in fronto-central brain connectivity in the alpha band during the high-difficulty lesson is shown as a reflection of refined attention allocation and effective motor program processing. Beta modulation during motor planning is also reflected through an increase in frontal functional connectivity, as well as repetition suppression by a decrease in gamma connectivity. Metrics from complex network theory were used to associate channels P4, F4, Cz, and C4 as relevant in processes such as the execution of motor sequences, cognitive performance, and focused attention. These results add insight to previous analysis performed on the same database and further prove the feasibility of monitoring a learning process with EEG.