How Fast Can the Brain Adapt? - Measuring Rapid Neuroplasticity with Eye Tracking and EEG using Python

The human brain is remarkably plastic and capable of rapidly adapting to changing environmental demands (even over very short timescales). This project explores short-term neuroplasticity by investigating how targeted oculomotor (eye-movement) training influences behavior, eye-movement dynamics, and neural activity measured with EEG over the course of three consecutive days.

Even brief, repeated oculomotor training can lead to measurable improvements in performance and corresponding changes in oculomotor behavior, reflecting the brain’s ability to quickly adjust and optimize sensorimotor processes. Over the span of three days, participants will repeatedly perform eye-tracking tasks designed to probe eye-movement control, while we collect and analyze behavioral and oculomotor data (and neural data if EEG recording is possible). The project is also intended as a hands-on learning experience. Participants will practice the full pipeline of eye-tracking research, including data acquisition, preprocessing, and analysis, using their own computers. All the calculations will be Python-based, which will be necessary to extract, normalize, and visualize the data collected from eye-tracking sessions from participants of this group. All data collected during the project will be used solely for educational and scientific purposes within the scope of BrainHack. For the safety of personal data, the data from participants will be secured by randomized ID numbers and will not be used later!

Each participant is expected to complete four eye-tracking recording sessions. These recordings will be analyzed to assess whether performance improves across sessions, both at the behavioral level (e.g., accuracy, reaction time), at the oculomotor level (e.g., saccade metrics, fixation stability), and at neural level (via EEG data). We expect progressive improvement with each attempt, consistent with short-term training-induced plasticity.

– Friday afternoon: First data collection session and theoretical background on eye tracker
– Saturday morning: Second data collection session and preprocessing the eye tracker data
– Saturday afternoon: Third data collection and analyzing the preprocessed data
– Saturday evening/Sunday morning: Gather the data across subjects and do group-level analyses

Each session will include a lecture and practice part.

To understand the procedure and project correctly and to fluently pass through all the lectures, we highly recommend reading the fruitful material section submitted below!