BrainPower System Itisimportanttokeepinmindthatmostplayerswillinitiallybechallengedinusingthe BrainPowerSystem.Tobesuccessful,theyhavetolearnhowto tunein andproduce a specific positive mental state, which is referred to as a BrainPower Challenge. Success is only possible if the person approaches the exercise with a relaxed, exploringattitude,anddoesnot try todoit.wheneverapersongetsstressedorupset because of their perceived failure to earn BrainPower points or be successful in the BrainPower Game Breaks, then the use of the BrainPower System should be discontinued for this person. Before resuming it, they will need to have more supervision and coaching by a Trainer. IMPORTANT: If you have not installed your EEG MindWave Device or the MindWave Mobile, please skip to the next section below and follow the directions for installing the necessary drivers for your specific device. Information about the BrainPower Game Breaksisprovidedinthesecondpartofthissectionbelow. The BrainPower System options are displayed in detail below. Players can use the BrainPower system to develop positive, alert and relaxed mental states while completing the training exercises. The BrainPower system helps Players know when they are relaxed and alert by analyzing their brain waves using the MindWave EEG devices. Feedback is providedusingtheimageofa brain that glows when the Player is producing the selected brain activity during the training exercises and in thegamebreaksaswell. The BrainPower system requires that you use the Neurosky MindWave or Neurosky MindWave Mobile Headset which quickly and easily connects using dry EEG sensor technology. As you develop your brain power skills by learning how to better relax, concentrate and focus, you ll be able to earn more BrainPower points for correct answers while playing. Copyright 2015- BrainTrain, Inc.- All Rights Reserved 1
BrainPower System Options SetupEEGDevice-TheSetupEEGDevice button opens the connection manager for the MindWave or MindWave Mobile EEG Device. Further detail on selecting and connecting to a device is included in the EEG Device Installation and Setup section below. In general, any detected devices will appear in the Detected EEG Devices drop down list. You would select the desired device and then press the Connect button to initiate a connection with that device. Note that the ID of any previously connected MindWavedevicewillbesavedinthe Use MindWaveID: box.ifyouneedtouseadifferentmindwavedeviceinthefuture,be sure to uncheck Use MindWave ID: before pressing Connect. The system will then search for any available MindWave devices in the area. Check Device Connection- This button opens the Device Connection manager screen. This will give you ameasureofhowwellthesilvermindwavesensoris making contact with your skin on your forehead. You cangentlypullouttheplasticbandthatgoesoverthe centerofyourheadtoadjustthisdeviceforabetterfit. Youwanttoadjustthedevicesothatyouhavea Good between the MindWave headset and the scalp oftheplayer.ifthedeviceconnectionis Poor, thencheckthedevicetobesurethatit is attached properly. In some cases rubbing the skin where the silver device sensor touchestheskinwithalcoholandthendryingitwillhelpmaketheconnectiongood.be carefulthoughanddonotletanyalcoholdripintotheplayer seye. BrainPower System Enabled- Toggles the usage of the BrainPower System. If the box is checked, then all of the exercises will contain the EEG visual and auditory feedback when the exercises are run. Difficulty Level- Displays and allows the user to change the current difficulty level of the BrainPower system. If the Auto Adjust Difficulty option is selected(on by default), the system will automatically move the difficulty up and down to meet the trainee s current abilitylevel.theuserisabletoearnmorepointtotalsatthehigherdifficultylevels. GameBreakChoice -AllowstheusertochangethetypeofGameBreakexercisethat will appear after passing a exercise. Copyright 2015- BrainTrain, Inc.- All Rights Reserved 2
BrainPower Challenge- There are 6 different BrainPower challenges to choose from. Each concentrates on a different positive mental state and offers its own unique challenges to master. More information on these challenges can be found in the BrainPower Challenge section below. Baseline Progress - The BrainPower system relies on an initial Baseline measure to help determine progress through the system. This Baseline is an average of the player s performance at the selected BrainPower Challenge over the first five days of play. The Baseline Progress tells the user whether their baseline is still in progress of being collected or is complete. Reset Baseline - Allows the user to reset their baseline and begin collecting data anew. Pleasenote that allof the EEG data previouslycollectedwillbe deletedfor the currently selected BrainPower challenge. Audio Feedback and Volume Level- Audio feedback is provided during the exercises in the form of background music that becomes louder as the trainee does well and quieter as the trainee does poorly. The Audio Feedback checkbox toggles control of the audio feedback related to the trainee s brainpower state in the exercises. The default setting is enabled. The Volume Level adjustment allows you to control the maximum volume of the audio feedback sounds. Sounds will stillraise and lower in volume, but only to the maximum level determined by this setting. BrainPower System Summary Graph The Session Summary graph provides a view of the trainee s progress either within the current training session by selecting Current Session or throughout the entire training by choosing Multi-session Summary. A point total is displayed in the upper left corner of the graph. Note that the Current Session graph will only display information from the lastsessionsincetheapplicationwaslastopened.ifyouclosetheapplicationorruna 2 nd session,youwillnotbeabletoviewtheprevioussessionagain.itsdatawillstillbe available though under the Multi-session Summary graph. Copyright 2015- BrainTrain, Inc.- All Rights Reserved 3
BrainPower In An Exercise With BrainPower turned on, you will see an image of a brain somewhere on the screen after the exercise starts and the instructions are presented. Usually the brain will be positioned in one of the corners of the screen. The brain graphic will begin as a purple brain, and as the player performs well, the brain will change colors to green, orange,andfinallyyellow.yellowisthebestcolorandthe playerwillwant totryto keepthe brainyellowto earn the most points. As the player meets the requirements of the BrainPower Challenge, the brain will get a yellow "glow" around it. This means the player is "in the zone" and is earninglotsof points!if theplayerbeginstolosefocus,the brainwillgobackthrough thecolorstopurpleandlesspointswillbeearned.byrefocusingtheirefforts,theycan getthebrainbacktoyellowandearningmore points.ifthebrainturnsred,amessage willappeartellingtheplayerthere'saproblemandhowtofixit.thepointsaplayerhas earnedduringtheexercisewillbedisplayedinthecenterofthebrain. While playing an exercise with BrainPower turned on, the pause feature will bring up a graphoftheplayersprogressoverthelastminuteofplay.astheplayerremains"inthe zone",theywillseehighervaluesinthegraph.themorehighpointsonthegraphthere are,thebetter theplayerisdoing.theplayer'sbaselineisrepresentedbythe0value on the graph and any pointsabove the 0 lineindicatesuccess withinthat BrainPower Challenge. The player's current difficulty level will also be displayed at the top of the graph. If the auto-adjust difficulty option is turned on, this level indicator will change as the player progresses through the exercise. Copyright 2015- BrainTrain, Inc.- All Rights Reserved 4
EEG Device Installation and Setup Neurosky MindWave 1) Before inserting the MindWave USB dongle, insert the MindWave installation CD into your system. You will be prompted to download the latest version from the Neurosky web site. Follow the onscreen instructions to install the driver files for the MindWave headset. You will be prompted to insert the USB dongle during the installation process. There isalso a short hand guide for installingthe driversand proper way to wear the MindWave located inside the Neurosky MindWave box. Note: During the MindWave installation process, your device s serial number will be displayed on screen (see screen at left). You may want to write down this serial number for later reference. You can also find the serial number located inside the MindWave battery case on a small sticker. The serial number is 4 digit alpha-numeric characters. It is not necessary to have the serial number unless you have multiple MindWavedevicesrunninginthesameroom. Ifyoudon tknowtheserialnumber, you canjust clickthescanagainbuttontoconnecttoyourmindwavedevice.pleasenote thatyoudoneedtoturnonthemindwaveinordertoconnecttoit. 2) Once you have the MindWave installed, start the application, click on the BrainPower System button and click on Setup EEG Device. The Neurosky MindWave should appear on the device list. You may need to pull down to find the devicefurtherdown onthe list. Ifno deviceislisted,besure thatthedeviceisturned on and press the Scan Again button. Press the Connect button to continue with the Device Connection process. 3) If you have multiple MindWave devices, you can select a specific one by entering that devices serial number in the Use MindWave ID field. You can find your Device ID inside the battery case of the MindWave device. It should be 4 alpha-numeric characters in length.there isalsoalongernumber on a sticker on the opposing side of the battery case. Copyright 2015- BrainTrain, Inc.- All Rights Reserved 5
You can also make sure that you only have one of your devices turned on at a time during the connection process. Once you have connected successfully to a MindWave device, the system will automatically try to connect to that same device again in the future.ifyouneedtouseadifferentmindwaveforanyreason,you llneedtore-runthe EEG Device Setup process again. If after scanning, the Neurosky MindWave still does not connect then try the following steps: a)checkthattherearebatteriesinthedevice.alsochecktoseeifthebatteries are inserted correctly and that batteries are charged. If necessary, try a new AAA battery. BrainTrain recommends Lithium AAA batteries due to their longer life as compared with regular alkalines. b)checkthatthemindwaveisturnedon. c)tryconnectingthemindwavedongletoadifferentusbportonthecomputer. d) If the device still fails to appear, contact BrainTrain Technical Support at www.braintrainhelp.com 4) After successfully connecting, you can choose Check Signal Quality to test the quality of your connections. If you have trouble with Signal Quality, be sure the skin area isclean and dry before applyingthe sensors. It may be helpfulto clean the skin with rubbing alcohol before usage or after long periods of usage. Copyright 2015- BrainTrain, Inc.- All Rights Reserved 6
Neurosky MindWave Mobile The Neurosky MindWave Mobile uses Bluetooth to transmit data to the computer. To use the MindWave Mobile device, your computer must have a built-in Bluetooth receiveroryouwillneedtopurchaseausbbluetoothdongleandinstallitforuse. Pairing the MindWave Mobile with Bluetooth 1) Before attempting to pair the MindWave Mobile with Bluetooth, make sure that the device has a battery, is powered on and is in Pairing Mode. To place the device in Pairing mode, slide the On/Pair switch into the Pair position and hold for 3 seconds. Whenthe deviceisinpairingmode, the blueledwillblinktwice inrapid succession. WhennotinPairingmode,theblueLEDwillonlyblinkonce. 2)OnceyouhavetheMindWaveMobileinpairingmode, enter the Bluetooth Device Manager. On many computers, this can be accomplished by right-clicking on the Bluetooth icon located in the task bar. Choose the Add a Device option under the Bluetooth Manager to begin. Copyright 2015- BrainTrain, Inc.- All Rights Reserved 7
3) The computer will scan for any available Bluetooth devices in range. Once it detects the MindWave Bluetooth, select that device and press the Next button. 4) After the device has been successfully added, click the Close button and start the application, click on the BrainPower System button and click on Setup EEG Device. The Neurosky MindWave Mobile should appear on the device list. You may need to pull down to find the device further down on the list. If no deviceislisted,besurethatthedeviceis turned on and press the Scan Again button. Press the Connect button to continue with the Device Connection process.. Copyright 2015- BrainTrain, Inc.- All Rights Reserved 8
BrainPower Game Breaks PLEASE NOTE that the BrainPower games can only be played when the BrainPower System is turned on. There are two ways to begin a BrainPower Game Break. With the BrainPower System turned on, you can click on the Game Break button that is located above the Help button. The Game Break button will take you to the selection screen below. A game break can also be played after an exercise (test or training) has been attempted, depending on the frequency setting. Usually, the Player has to pass an exercise in order to earn a Game Break game. However, when the BrainPower system is activated then the percent setting for Game Breaks Enabled will be the sole factor that determines the frequency of the presentation of the BrainPower Game Breaks. In other words, the Player's success or failure in passing the exercise will not influence whether or not a BrainPower game break is presented. In the case when the Game Breaks Enabled option is unchecked, no BrainPower Game Breaks will be given between exercises. Game Breaks are automatically enabled and set at 100% frequency by default. When playing BrainPower game breaks after an exercise, the player always starts at difficulty level three and will automatically advance in levels depending on their EEG Performance during play. Players will also receive points related to their EEG Performance. A Top 10 List of players' final scores will be displayed after each game breakiscompleted. Whenusingthe Game Breakbutton from the menu, a player can selectwhichdifficultyleveltostartat,butthetop10listwillnotbeviewable(seebelow for more details). Copyright 2015- BrainTrain, Inc.- All Rights Reserved 9
ClickingontheExitGameBreaksbuttonwilltakeyoubacktothemenuyouwereon whenyouenteredthegamebreak.ifrunningfromanexerciseandtheautomatic Training option is enabled and the session time has not expired, clicking this button will take the player to the next exercise. ThemouseisonlyusedduringtheselectionofaBrainPowerGameBreakgame.None of the BrainPower games require direct input from the player. They will only be controlled by the player's EEG Performance through the MindWave Device. BrainPower Challenges The BrainPower System contains six different BrainPower Challenges to delight and challenge players who want to build their brain power. While other games may require youtotenseupandgetoverlyexcitedinordertowin,themostimportantstrategyfor winning the BrainPower games is to stay as relaxed as possible both physically and mentally. Straining, squinting, tensing your jaw, or staring with a furrowed brow will resultinpoorscoresandamessagethatsays"pleaserelax."ifyougettootense,the star will turn red. So keep your cool, demonstrate self-control, find a winning attitude, andyoumayfindyourselfonthetoptenlist! TheRelaxYourFaceChallengerequiresyoutokeepyourfaceasrelaxedaspossible inordertowin inotherwords,maintaina pokerface. Eachsuccessivechallenge can be selected and trains different positive mental states. To excel in Calm Awareness, you will need to practice becoming very relaxed mentally. Let go of any emotional reactions or thoughts about winning or losing and simply be present, relaxed, and alert. Justbepatientandseeandacceptwhathappens. InFocusedMindyoucanexploreandseeifyoucandiscoverwhatitmeanstoyouto be relaxed and focused. Step back, experiment through trial and error, and see how awareyoucanbeofyourownbrainpowerstate. The fourth challenge, Positive Thinking, is about wishing others happiness. Recall the glowingpleasure,smellandjoywhenyoulastsawandhuggedorplayedwithanew puppyorkitty.remember whatitwaslikewhenyouhadthetimetotalkandcatchup withanoldfriend?remember anythoughtsorfeelingsthatbringyouintoahappy, joyful, carefree and relaxed place. Don't force your memories or feelings, just be available to whatever occurs. Be patient and open. AlertConcentration!aimstofocusyourmindlikealaserbeam.Canyouletgoofyour thinking while you stay mentally active and attuned to a directed, relaxed and pointed stateofmind?whatisa laserbeammind? Finally,wecometothePerfectDay!Whatdoeshavingaperfectdaymeantoyou?Do you feel relaxed, able to think clearly and quickly, confident, positive, happy, and focused? Does a perfect day mean feeling alive in every moment and simply enjoying beingherenow?areyouabletoletgoofworrisomethoughtsaboutpastmemoriesor your daydreams about tomorrow's upcoming events? Does an urge to dance or sing Copyright 2015- BrainTrain, Inc.- All Rights Reserved 10
comeoveryouordoyousimplywishotherstobehappy,too?nothingtodoand nothingtosay,isthatyourperfectday? Have fun, be creative, enjoy, try out and discover for yourself which strategies help you to win when playing these games. You can try slow, deep, relaxing breathing; perform mental math problems; explore any type of mental activity you wish; or see what happens when you immerse yourself in your memories or feelings. Remember, no one canreallygiveyoutheanswers.youwillhavethefunofdiscoveringwhathelpsyou. The suggestions and questions about each BrainPower Challenge given above are just pointersandmayormaynotworkforyou.therealanswerscannotbegiveninwords. It is the experience, that you yourself will have when playing, that counts. And, believe it ornot,youwillnotreallybeabletotellanyoneelsehowtowineither,butgoaheadand try. Everyone is unique and will have to discover the"secret" of each BrainPower Challenge for themselves. Reach the highest level of difficulty you can for each BrainPower Challenge in order to realize the benefits of becoming a master of your mind s mental powers. Above all, have fun in playing this mind adventure game, and, by all means, share whatever excitement, pleasure, and adventure you experience when playing with others. BrainPower Game Breaks You can select to play either BrainPower Sports or BrainPower Games. The BrainPower Sports are specifically designed to help the player maintain the desired mental state. The BrainPower games are more interactive and challenging. They requiretheplayertousethemouseandplaythevideogamebreaks.whenthe BrainPower system is enabled, the game breaks provide reinforcement for maintaining the selected positive mental state, and the user can earn more points depending on their success in keeping the brain glowing while they play. See the GameBreaks Help file for more details about the BrainPower Games. BrainPower Sports Eachofthefivegameshasatwominutetimeperiod.Afteragamehascompleted,the player will either go back to the Exercise Menu(if automatic training is disabled or runningfromthegamebreaksbutton)orwillcontinueontothenextexercise(if automatic training is enabled and the session time, if enabled, has not expired). The five BrainPower Sports games are as follows: NeuroBasketball In NeuroBasketball, the player s feedback regarding their ability to manipulate the EEG is provided via a simple basketball shot contest. When the game begins, basketballs will start making shots towards the basket. The chance of a successful basket depends on the player's EEG Performance within the last half second. As the player performs better,thechanceofmakingashotwillincrease.inaddition,thepointsaplayer recieves when making a basket will vary based on the player's EEG Performance. Copyright 2015- BrainTrain, Inc.- All Rights Reserved 11
When the player scores points,thepointsflyupto the scoreboard inside a star. The stars(and points) are scaled depending on the player's EEG performance over the last half second. So the star's size reflects the player's performance. A small star indicates a poor performance. A larger star indicates a good performance. The player will be working against a computer player to see who can score the most baskets intheallottedtime.iftheplayerscoresmorebaskets,thentheywin.thereareno passinglevels.instead,thedifficultylevelcanbesetintwoways.ifthe"autoadjust Difficulty" was turned on in the BrainPower System menu then the difficulty level will automatically adjust to the player's performance. If that option was not turned on, the difficulty will be whatever value was set in the"difficulty Level" box on the BrainPower System menu. NeuroDarts In NeuroDarts, the player s feedback regarding their ability to manipulate the EEG is provided viadartsbeingthrownatadart board. Their chance of success at hitting the bullseye depends on the player's EEG Performance within the last half second. If a player performs poorly,thechanceofadart hitting the bullseye goes down. As the player performs well, the chance of the darts hitting the bullseye goes up. In addition, the points a player recieves when getting a bullseye will vary based on their EEG Performance. When the player scores points, the points fly up tothescoreboardinsideastar.thestars(andpoints)arescaleddependingonthe player's EEG performance over the last half second. So the star's size reflects the player's performance. A small star indicates a poor performance. A larger star indicates agoodperformance.theplayerwillbeworkingagainstacomputerplayertoseewho can score the most bullseyes in the allotted time. If the player scores more bullseyes, Copyright 2015- BrainTrain, Inc.- All Rights Reserved 12
thentheywin.therearenopassinglevels.instead,thedifficultylevelcanbesetintwo ways. If the"auto Adjust Difficulty" was turned on in the BrainPower System menu then the difficulty level will automatically adjust to the player's performance. If that option was notturnedon,thedifficultywillbewhatevervaluewassetinthe"difficultylevel"box on the BrainPower System menu. NeuroFishing In NeuroFishing, the player s feedback regarding their ability to manipulate the EEG is provided via successfully catching fish. When the game begins, fish will swim up to the hookinthewater.theplayer'schanceofcatchingafishdependsontheplayer'seeg Performance over the last half second. If a player performs poorly, the chance of catchingafishwilldecrease.thiswillcausesomefishtoeatthewormandswimaway. Ifaplayerperformswell,theirchanceofcatchingafishwillincrease.Thiswillallowthe playertocatchthefishandthecaughtfishwillmovetoatrophyareaonthe scoreboard. In addition, the points a player earns when catching a fish will vary based on their EEG Performance. When the player scores points,thepointsflyuptothe scoreboard inside a star. The stars(and points) are scaled depending on the player's EEG Performance over the last half second. So the star's size reflects the player's performance. A small star indicates a poor performance. Alargerstarindicatesagood performance. The player will be working against a computer player to see who cancatchthemostfishinthe allottedtime.iftheplayercatchesmorefish,thentheywin.therearenopassing levels. Instead, the difficulty level can be set in two ways. If the"auto Adjust Difficulty" was turned on in the BrainPower System menu then the difficulty level will automatically adjust to the player's performance. If that option was not turned on, the difficulty will be whatever value was set in the"difficulty Level" box on the BrainPower System menu. Copyright 2015- BrainTrain, Inc.- All Rights Reserved 13
NeuroFootball In NeuroFootball, the player's feedback regarding their ability tomanipulatetheeegis provided via kicking a football throughgoalpoststoscorea fieldgoal. When the game begins, footballs will be kicked in quick succession towards the goal posts. The player's chance of making a fieldgoal depends on their EEG Performance. When the player is performing poorly, the chance of making a fieldgoal will decrease. When the player performs well, the chance of making a fieldgoal will increase. In addition, the points a player recieves when making a fieldgoal will vary based on their EEG Performance. Whentheplayerscorespoints,thepointsflyuptothescoreboardinsideastar.The stars(and points) are scaled depending on the player's EEG performance over the last half second. So the star's size reflects the player's performance. A small star indicates a poor performance. A larger star indicates a good performance. The player will be workingagainstacomputerplayertoseewhocanscorethemostfieldgoalsinthe allotted time. If the player scores more fieldgoals, then they win. There are no passing levels. Instead, the difficulty level can be set in two ways. If the"auto Adjust Difficulty" was turned on in the BrainPower System menu then the difficulty level will automatically adjust to the player's performance. If that option was not turned on, the difficulty will be whatever value was set in the"difficulty Level" box on the BrainPower System menu. Copyright 2015- BrainTrain, Inc.- All Rights Reserved 14
NeuroSoccer In NeuroSoccer, the player s feedback regarding their ability to manipulatetheeegisprovidedviaa soccer game. When the game begins, the player will attempt to kick the soccer balls past the goalie. Their chance of success at making thegoaldependsontheireeg Performance within the last half second. If the player is performing poorly, the soccer ball will not make itintothegoal.iftheplayerperforms well,theywillscoreagoal.in addition, the points a player receives whenscoringagoalwillvarybasedontheireegperformance.whentheplayerscores points,thepointsflyuptothescoreboardinsideastar.thestars(andpoints)are scaled depending on the player's EEG Performance over the last half second. So the star's size reflects the player's performance. A small star indicates a poor performance. A larger star indicates a good performance. The player will be working against a computerplayertoseewhocankickthemostsoccerballsintothenetsintheallotted time.iftheplayermakesmoregoals,thentheywin.therearenopassinglevels. Instead,thedifficultylevelcanbesetintwoways.Ifthe"AutoAdjustDifficulty"was turned on in the BrainPower System menu then the difficulty level will automatically adjust to the player's performance. If that option was not turned on, the difficulty will be whatever value was set in the"difficulty Level" box on the BrainPower System menu. Copyright 2015- BrainTrain, Inc.- All Rights Reserved 15