News Finding: Learning a new skill is easier when it is related to an ability we already have.
Paper Finding: These results show that the intrinsic manifold was a reliable predictor of the learnability of a BCI mapping: new BCI mappings that were within the intrinsic manifold were more learnable than those outside of it.
News Context: Learning a new skill is easier when it is related to an ability we already have. For example, a trained pianist can learn a new melody easier than learning how to hit a tennis serve. Understanding the ways in which the brain's activity can be "flexed" during learning could eventually be used to develop better treatments for stroke and other brain injuries.
Paper Context: 4) . These results show that the intrinsic manifold was a reliable predictor of the learnability of a BCI mapping: new BCI mappings that were within the intrinsic manifold were more learnable than those outside of it. We considered five alternative explanations for the difference in learnability.