By Janice Wood Associate News Editor Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on October 5, 2014

A new study shows that people who practice yoga and meditation over the long term can learn to control a computer with their minds faster and better than people with little or no yoga or meditation experience.

For their study, biomedical engineers at the University of Minnesota recruited 36 participants. One group of 12 had practiced yoga or meditation at least two times a week for an hour for at least a year. The second group included 24 healthy participants who had little or no yoga or meditation experience.

Both groups were new to systems using the brain to control a computer. People in both groups participated in three, two-hour experiments over four weeks in which they wore a high-tech, non-invasive cap over the scalp that picked up brain activity. The participants were asked to move a computer cursor across the screen by imaging left or right hand movements, the researchers explained.

The participants with yoga or meditation experience were twice as likely to complete the brain-computer interface task by the end of 30 trials, according to the researchers. Those with yoga or meditation experience also learned three times faster than those in the other group.

In recent years, there has been a lot of attention on improving the computer side of the brain-computer interface, but very little attention to the brain side, said lead researcher Bin He, a biomedical engineering professor in the University of Minnesotas College of Science and Engineering and director of the Universitys Institute for Engineering in Medicine.

This comprehensive study shows for the first time that looking closer at the brain side may provide a valuable tool for reducing obstacles for brain-computer interface success in early stages.

Researchers have increasingly focused on finding ways to help physically disabled individuals who are paralyzed, have lost limbs, or suffer from diseases such as ALS or cerebral palsy, according to the researcher.

For these people, brain function remains intact, but they havent found a way to bypass muscular control to move a wheelchair, control an artificial limb, or control other devices, he noted.

He gained international attention in 2013 when members of his research team were able to demonstrate flying a robot with only their minds. However, the researchers found that not everyone can learn to control a computer with their brains.

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New Research Shows Yoga and Meditation Boost Brain Power