Posted on 04/27/2005 4:06:07 AM PDT by billorites
Functional MRI scans plot brain activity by looking at brain blood flow and are already used by researchers.
A team at University College London found with fMRI they could tell what a person was thinking deep down even when the individual was unaware themselves.
The findings, published in Nature Neuroscience, offer exiting new ways to probe the subconscious, said experts.
| This is the first basic step to reading somebody's mind Researcher Dr Geraint Rees |
In the experiment, Dr Geraint Rees and Dr John-Dylan Haynes measured brain activity in the visual cortex - the part of the brain that deals with information sent by the eyes - while volunteers looked at different test objects on a computer screen.
By looking at the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan results, the scientists were able to predict what had been displayed on the computer screen better than volunteers themselves.
When two images were flashed in quick succession, the volunteers only consciously saw the second one and were unable to make out the first.
But the brain scans clearly distinguished the patterns of brain activity created by the "invisible" images.
Mind-reader
Similarly, a separate study by Japanese researchers, published in the same journal, found that when people were shown stripes tilted in different directions, there were subtle differences in the pattern of brain activity obtained by fMRI.
The scientists built a computer program to recognise these different patterns and found they could predict what direction stripes had been shown with remarkable accuracy.
| You could use it to detect people's prejudices Dr Adrian Burgess of Imperial College London |
When volunteers were shown a plaid pattern made up of two different sets of stripes but asked to pay attention to only one set, the program was able to tell which one the subjects were thinking about.
Dr Rees said: "This is the first basic step to reading somebody's mind. If our approach could be expanded upon, it might be possible to predict what someone was thinking or seeing from their brain activity alone."
Dr Adrian Burgess, from the department of cognitive neuropsychology at Imperial College London, said: "The technique is bringing out information that has not been available from MRI scans before.
"It could potentially be used to find out people's latent attitudes and beliefs that they are not aware of.
"You could use it to detect people's prejudices, intuition and things that are hidden and influence our behaviour."
He said it might be possible to dip into people's repressed memories or even see people's hidden fears and phobias.
"That's a long way off, but it is exciting."
I'd love to see a liberals brain.
Liberals are easy! They always think the Party Line!
They're still searching for a Liberal with a brain.
Here's one searching for a thought.
The Department of Future Cime?
"When volunteers were shown a plaid pattern made up of two different sets of stripes but asked to pay attention to only one set, the program was able to tell which one the subjects were thinking about.
Dr Rees said: "This is the first basic step to reading somebody's mind. If our approach could be expanded upon, it might be possible to predict what someone was thinking or seeing from their brain activity alone."
Who needs a machine? Mrs Nitti can do it simply by looking at me.
I can see the government reading people's mind, to determine who have a need to be "reeducated".
Pinellas county, Florida serial Scientologist bench-murderer Judgenfuhrer Greer:
"So now you know why I denied Terri access to PET imaging.
Her desire to live, and for water and food, might have been revealed."
This is mind boggling!
"This is mind boggling!"
I knew you were going to say that.
"The mind is a terrible thang."
lmao
God,this would be fun to use on this country's Fellow Travelers.Use it first on Laurence Tribe (democRAT Supreme Court Justice In Waiting) while asking him why,a few years back,he lead a movement to stop the establishment of a halfway house for the mentally ill that had been proposed for his ultra-posh Harvard Square neighborhood.
"I'd love to see a liberals brain."
You've a better chance of grasping the wind.
More likely it'll be The Department of Psychological Crime. "Hate" crimes legislation will expand to include thinking about hurting a protected class.
They will use it to arrest people they don't like.
"Our machine knew you were plotting a crime even though you weren't aware of it yourself."
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