ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

SMR classification

Imagine you have a big box with lots of different toys inside, like dolls, cars, balls, and blocks. Now, let's say you want to organize all these toys into groups based on what they look like. You might put all the dolls together in one group, all the cars in another, and the balls and blocks in their own groups too.

That's kind of like what SMR classification does, but instead of toys in a box, it's about different kinds of brain waves. When we measure brain waves, we can see that they come in different patterns, and those patterns can give us information about what someone is doing or feeling. For example, brain waves that are fast and wiggly are usually associated with being alert and active, while slower, smoother brain waves might indicate that someone is feeling relaxed or sleepy.

SMR stands for "sensorimotor rhythm," which is a specific kind of brain wave that happens when we're not doing much physically, but we're still awake and alert. It's kind of like a neutral state where our brains aren't working super hard, but we're not totally zoning out either.

Scientists who study brain waves (called neuroscientists) have found that SMR waves can be divided into different sub-groups based on their frequencies (how many wiggles they have per second, just like how musical notes have different pitches). Each sub-group represents a slightly different level of brain activity, with the slowest SMR waves indicating the lowest level of activity and the fastest ones indicating the highest.

So, just like you might group your toys based on what they look like, neuroscientists can group SMR waves based on how fast they are. This helps them understand more about what's going on in your brain at different times. For example, if you're trying to concentrate on something, your brain might be making more high-frequency SMR waves than when you're just chilling out.

Overall, SMR classification is a way of understanding how our brains work by looking at the different patterns of brain waves we produce. By dividing SMR waves into smaller sub-groups based on their frequencies, neuroscientists can learn even more about what our brains are up to in different situations.