In 2011, scientists
at the University of California, Berkley discovered an important
correlation between our thoughts and our brain patterns. They found an unique method to reconstruct words from activity occurring within the brain.
They hypothesized that sound is processed in the same way we
neurologically comprehend and reciprocate speech. Scientists focused their research on the Superior Temporal Gyrus (STG) located
within the temporal lobe. The superior temporal gyrus contains two very
important areas of the brain, the primary auditory cortex and wernicke's
area. The primary auditory cortex is responsible for the
processing of every sound we hear, while the wernicke's area is involved with the
comprehension of language. This makes the STG a focal point
for researchers of this study.
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| Image from: Google Images |
Scientists
performed experiments to test their theory that a computer model could predict speech
from neural impulses. The scientists took fifteen subjects and attached
electrodes to the STG. They had the subjects listen to words and sentences then recorded their brain activity. They then asked the subjects to think about
the word or sentence they had heard and recorded the impulses. Scientists broke down these recordings into two comparable models.
The first model reconstructed the brain activity from the spoken word into a readable pattern. The second model predicted a word from the thoughts of the participants
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| Image from: BBC News |
To hear the computers translation please click the link below:
Neuroscientists have long believed that the brain translates the world around us into electrical activity. The scientists were able to conclude that although research is in its
infancy it shows promise for practical applications within the biomedical
community. With more research, scientists have speculated that this discovery could be used
to help individuals who have suffered traumatic brain injury better
communicate. Scientists hope this research leads to a device that can translate thoughts in patients incapable of speech. It could also be used to determine if a comatose person has brain
activity or even what they may be thinking.
Works Cited:
Collins, N. (2012, Jan 31). Mind-reading device could become reality.The telegraph. p. Science News.
Palmer, J. (2012, Jan 31). Science decodes "internal voices."
BBC News Science & Environment. p. Science and Technology.
Very fascinating! I'm interested to see how this progresses in the future.
ReplyDeleteI can see it being beneficial for those who cannot speak, as you mentioned above, but I can also imagine it being used for a kind of telepathy. If the computer was able to recognize which words you were thinking, it could send that information to another computer, which could then translate the data back into sound, or electronic impulses that could perhaps be read by your brain. Of course, this is just conjecture, but the fact that technology is definitely moving in this direction is exciting nonetheless.
This is fascinating science. I wonder how the speed of the computer's guesswork compares with the speed of current computer programs that can help those who have lost the ability to speak (someone like Stephen Hawking) when they look at letters or words on a computer screen. What's great is that there are two totally different technologies in play here, one almost telepathic (agreed, Christopher!) and the other response to eye movement.
ReplyDeleteI think the practical applications are enormous. Where else could this science be used? How about in discovery of guilt or innocence in court?
Thats exactly where I wanted to go with the article, but since the research is stil so young it would be a big leap to say it may be a reliable source in the future for court systems.
DeleteConfabulation is another factor to take into account when lie detector tests are used, a person could commit an act of violence and have no recollection of what happened or what they had just done; just because a test might say they were telling the truth does not mean the test could be used as an accurate description of what occurred.
I found this post to be very interesting. I wonder if in the future they will further develop this technology and integrate it into law enforcement as something to replace the lie detector.
ReplyDeleteI was also curious if this had anything to do with people being able to relate songs to memories.