Cerebral Hemispheres 2
NEUROSCIENTIFICALLY CHALLENGED

NEUROSCIENCE MADE SIMPLER

Reading Minds With fMRI


Well, it may not be mind reading just yet, but a computer model developed by a group of neuroscientists at the University of California, Berkeley, is perhaps one (tiny) step closer to that sort of technology. In a study to be published in tomorrow’s issue of Nature, the group describes the use of the computer model to accurately identify which photograph—out of a group of many—a subject had just looked at, based only on fMRI data. Even more impressively, the model worked with photographs the participants had never seen before.

Studies of this sort have been conducted in the past with success, but involved only simple patterns or basic object recognition. In the current study, two participants were shown 1750 photographs of various scenes and objects while their brain activity was measured with fMRI. Using the data from these fRMI scans, the researchers created a computer model to distinguish patterns of activity in the visual cortex that occurred in response to specific features of the photographs. For example, the model could be used to determine which areas are typically activated in response to lines, spherical shapes, or spots of dark shadowing. To do this, they divided the fMRI representation of the visual cortex into small cubes and used the model to examine how activity in each subsection changed in relation to different photographs.

After the initial fMRI data was analyzed with the computer model, the two subjects (also co-authors of the study) then viewed 120 photographs they had never seen before while being scanned again. The researchers used the model to predict what the brain activity of each subject would be as they viewed the novel pictures. For one subject, the model’s prediction matched the actual brain activity 92% of the time. For the other, it was accurate 72% of the time. By chance alone, it would have made the correct match only 0.8% of the time. One of the subjects then viewed a set of 1000 pictures with scenes more similar to one another to further test the specificity of the model. It was still accurate 82% of the time.

While the mention of mind reading above is, of course, a bit sensationalistic, this technology is still amazing, and perhaps a harbinger of strange things to come. If we can eventually predict patterns of brain activity in response to visual stimuli with precision, who is to say we will not one day be able to dissect more complex thought processes, or at least identify sharp distinctions, like when one is telling a lie vs. telling the truth? Such technology, if determined to be accurate, could have interesting ramifications.

This is all speculation about things that may happen in the distant future, however, and only tenuously related to the computer model discussed above. After all, the model is still limited to pictures from a known set. It could not be used to interpret fMRI data and reconstruct a semblance of what a person has seen, it can only match the activity to photographs it has been exposed to previously. Regardless, it is an area of research that is worth following closely, as it involves perhaps the most precise elucidation of cognitive processes we have yet to be privy to.

YOUR BRAIN, EXPLAINED

Sleep. Memory. Pleasure. Fear. Language. We experience these things every day, but how do our brains create them? Your Brain, Explained is a personal tour around your gray matter. Building on neuroscientist Marc Dingman’s popular YouTube series, 2-Minute Neuroscience, this is a friendly, engaging introduction to the human brain and its quirks using real-life examples and Dingman’s own, hand-drawn illustrations.

  • An informative, accessible and engaging book for anyone who has even the slightest interest in how the brain works, but doesn’t know where to begin. - Dean Burnett, PhD, author, Happy Brain and Idiot Brain

  • Reading like a collection of detective stories, Your Brain, Explained combines classic cases in the history of neurology with findings stemming from the latest techniques used to probe the brain’s secrets. - Stanley Finger, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University (St. Louis), author, Origins of Neuroscience

  • ...a highly readable and accessible introduction to the operation of the brain and current issues in neuroscience... a wonderful introduction to the field. - Frank Amthor, PhD, Professor of Psychology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, author, Neuroscience for Dummies

  • Dingman weaves classic studies with modern research into easily digestible sections, to provide an excellent primer on the rapidly advancing field of neuroscience. - Moheb Costandi, author, Neuroplasticity and 50 Human Brain Ideas You Really Need to Know

BIZARRE

This book shows a whole other side of how brains work by examining the most unusual behavior to emerge from the human brain. In it, you'll meet a woman who is afraid to take a shower because she fears her body will slip down the drain, a man who is convinced he is a cat, a woman who compulsively snacks on cigarette ashes, and many other unusual cases. As uncommon as they are, each of these cases has something important to teach us about everyday brain function.

  • Bizarre is a collection of stories of how the brain can create zombies, cult members, extra limbs, instant musicians, and overnight accents, to name a few of the mind-scratching cases. After reading this book, you will walk away with a greater appreciation for this bizarre organ. If you are a fan of Oliver Sacks' books, you're certain to be a fan of Dingman's Bizarre. - Allison M. Wilck, PhD, Researcher and Assistant Professor of Psychology, Eastern Mennonite University

  • Through case studies of both exceptional people as well as those with disorders, Bizarre takes us on a fascinating journey in which we learn more about what is going on in our skull. - William J. Ray, PhD, Emeritus Professor of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, author, Abnormal Psychology

  • A unique combination of storytelling and scientific explanation that appeals to the brain novice, the trained neuroscientist, and everyone in between. Dingman explores some of the most fascinating and mysterious expressions of human behavior in a style that is case study, dramatic novel, and introductory textbook all rolled into one. - Alison Kreisler, PhD, Neuroscience Instructor, California State University, San Marcos

  • Dingman brings the history of neuroscience back to life and weaves in contemporary ideas seamlessly. Readers will come along for the ride of a really interesting read and accidentally learn some neuroscience along the way. - Erin Kirschmann, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychology & Counseling, Immaculata University