Brainwave fault explains slip-ups

[Lionel]

Scientists have found an explanation for those mornings where you put coffee on your cornflakes and the cat in the washing machine. They say it is because of a change in the kind of brainwaves someone produces. But the researchers, who presented their findings to the Physiological Society Conference, said the change could have more serious consequences. They say it may have been a factor in accidents like the Chernobyl disaster. A team from the Medical Research Council's cognitive and brain sciences unit in Cambridge examined brainwaves produced by people as they made mistakes.Volunteers took part in a 10-minute repetitive action test that requires prolonged periods of concentration. They were shown random numbers on computer screens roughly once every second. Every time a number appeared, they had to press the mouse button.

But if they saw the number three, they were told not to press the mouse. Monitoring of the volunteer's brainwaves showed they were more likely to make a mistake following a drop in levels of a type of brainwave called P300. Dr Avijit Datta, who led the research, said: "It's the sort of mistakes you make especially when you're feeling tired or sleepy, like accidentally putting coffee on your cornflakes instead of milk.

View: Full Article | Source: BBC News