(Press-News.org) The act of mind reading is something usually reserved for science-fiction movies but researchers in America have used a technique, usually associated with identifying epilepsy, for the first time to show that a computer can listen to our thoughts.
In a new study, scientists from Washington University demonstrated that humans can control a cursor on a computer screen using words spoken out loud and in their head, holding huge applications for patients who may have lost their speech through brain injury or disabled patients with limited movement.
By directly connecting the patient's brain to a computer, the researchers showed that the computer could be controlled with up to 90% accuracy even when no prior training was given.
The study, published today, Thursday 7 April, in IOP Publishing's Journal of Neural Engineering, involves a technique called electrocortiography (ECoG) — the placing of electrodes directly onto a patient's brain to record electrical activity — which has previously been used to identify regions of the brain that cause epilepsy and has led to effective treatments.
More recently, the process of ECoG has been applied to brain–computer interfaces (BCI) which aim to assist or repair brain functions and have already been used to restore the sight of one patient and stimulate limb movement in others.
The study used four patients, between the ages of 36, who suffered from epilepsy. Each patient was given a craniotomy — an invasive procedure used to place an electrode onto the brain of the patient — and was monitored whilst undergoing trials.
During the trials, the electrodes placed on the patient's brain would emit signals which were acquired, processed, and stored on a computer.
The trials involved the patients sitting in front of a screen and trying to move a cursor toward a target using pre-defined words that were associated with specific directions. For instance, saying or thinking of the word "AH" would move the cursor right.
At some point in the future researchers hope to permanently insert implants into a patient's brain to help restore functionality and, even more impressively, read someone's mind.
Dr. Eric C Leuthardt, the lead author, of Washington University School of Medicine, said: "This is one of the earliest examples, to a very, very small extent, of what is called 'reading minds' — detecting what people are saying to themselves in their internal dialogue."
This study was the first to demonstrate microscale ECoG recordings meaning that future operations that require this technology may use an implant that is very small and minimally invasive.
Also, the study identified that speech intentions can be acquired through a site that is less than a centimetre wide which would require only a small insertion into the brain. This would greatly reduce the risk of a surgical procedure.
Dr Leuthardt continued, "We want to see if we can not just detect when you're saying dog, tree, tool or some other word, but also learn what the pure idea of that looks like in your mind. It's exciting and a little scary to think of reading minds, but it has incredible potential for people who can't communicate or are suffering from other disabilities."
###
The journal paper can be downloaded on Thursday 7 April from http://iopscience.iop.org/1741-2552/8/3/036004
END
Three Smartphone giants are competing big time to offer the best user-friendly features. So how does one make the right choice? What is the most important feature in a Smartphone? E-mail usage, Internet browsing or tons of applications? Whatever the need, rest assured there is a Smartphone out there that now caters to every demand of the user!
Authored by Pooja Thakkar, this special piece on Smartphones reveals how this market is growing in India and has something for everyone - whatever their budget may be.
Read the full article, here.About Business Review India
Business ...
Social media represents a huge opportunity for established and emerging businesses across the world with Facebook and Twitter being top players in this field. Marketing on both these platforms offers businesses the possibility of exhibiting their product and services to an audience that is vast, anonymous yet intimately acquainted. It further allows the additional benefit of targeting the market based on age, region, race, income level among other factors.
Tips in this article guide the reader to take optimum advantage of both these popular platforms.
Read the full ...
A new report by the Confederation of British Industry describes changes in labeling as a 'win win for businesses and consumers' and one that will help the UK meet its carbon reduction targets. South East Labels welcomes the report with its endorsement of clear labeling policies as a vital part of commercial success and environmental gains. The report offers particular encouragement for SMEs, which can often be quicker to seize the initiative, to innovate and therefore to gain market share and status.
The CBI report Buying into it: making the consumer case for low carbon ...
VIDEO:
M1 joints (red) and fibrinogen struts (blue) form a scaffold. Dense assemblies trigger a pathological response that can lead to toxic shock.
Click here for more information.
Infection with some strains of strep turn deadly when a protein found on their surface triggers a widespread inflammatory reaction.
In a report published April 7 in the journal Nature, researchers describe the precise architecture of a superstructure formed when the bacterial protein called ...
Dr. Kai-Uwe Schlaudraff (www.concept-clinic.ch), a plastic surgeon who performs a wide range of plastic surgery procedures in Geneva, delivered a presentation on the topic of stem cell enriched fat transfer at the Cell Society's 1st Annual Clinical Meeting at the Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa in La Jolla, California. The meeting was held February 18 and 19, 2011.
"The desire to know more about the use of stem and regenerative cells in cosmetic medicine is widespread," says Dr. Schlaudraff. "Practitioners, patients and policy-makers worldwide must take an educated approach ...
DURHAM, N.C. – A newly discovered hybrid gene appears to play a direct role in some stomach cancers, according to an international team of scientists led by researchers at Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore.
The hybrid gene is a fusion of two separate genes, and is one of the first described in gastric cancer, which is the most lethal malignancy worldwide after lung cancer. The disease kills an estimated 740,000 people a year, including nearly 11,000 annually in the United States.
The gene discovery may one day give doctors a more effective way to use current ...
Pacific Eye (www.paceyemd.com), the premier ophthalmology practice that provides optometry services in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, continues to support the communities it serves with its sponsorship of the SLO Symphony's 50th anniversary season.
Pacific Eye is known for providing comprehensive vision care services, including routine eye care, cataract surgery, and refractive surgical procedures including IntraLase LASIK in San Luis Obispo. In addition to their professional services, the practice is devoted to supporting their community. For example, ...
Advance announces its new website with an enhanced structural design and efficient navigation tools for improved product selection and comprehensive service information. Providing a clean layout, the new website allows users to quickly access product information--including service manuals and parts list--by browsing various product categories or searching within multiple vertical markets.
Featuring a simple navigation bar, users can easily locate Advance products or learn about Advance's comprehensive cleaning solutions, including its innovative EcoFlex System cleaning ...
MediaBoss Television, a broadcast media, full creative, audio and video production company, announced today their expansion to a six thousand square foot facility in Framingham, Mass.
MediaBoss Television provides the best digital content, creative services video and audio production to a variety of companies in the area like IBM, VGo Communications and Ipswitch, Inc. MediaBoss Television also produces local entertainment show, "Track Gals," which airs both on Boston CBS affiliate Channel 4 as well as WSBK's TV38.
"The expansion of MediaBoss is a large step in achieving ...
Johns Hopkins researchers report the discovery of a molecular switch that regulates the behavior of a protein that, when altered, is already known to increase human susceptibility to schizophrenia and mood disorders.
The findings, published online in the journal Nature, expand the possibility of creating biomarkers that can better diagnose those with mental illnesses and track their treatment.
Building on previous studies at Hopkins, the new research further offers clues to why the Disrupted In Schizophrenia gene (DISC1) and its protein product plays so many distinct ...
