Scientists use brain imaging to reveal the movies in our mind
From: UC Berkeley News Center - 09/22/2011
By: Yasmin Anwar

Imagine tapping into the mind of a coma patient, or watching one’s own dream
on YouTube. With a cutting-edge blend of brain imaging and computer
simulation, scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, are
bringing these futuristic scenarios within reach. 

Using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and computational models,
UC Berkeley researchers have succeeded in decoding and reconstructing
people’s dynamic visual experiences – in this case, watching Hollywood movie
trailers. 

As yet, the technology can only reconstruct movie clips people have already
viewed. However, the breakthrough paves the way for reproducing the movies
inside our heads that no one else sees, such as dreams and memories,
according to researchers. 

Eventually, practical applications of the technology could include a better
understanding of what goes on in the minds of people who cannot communicate
verbally, such as stroke victims, coma patients, and people with
neurodegenerative diseases. 

It may also lay the groundwork for brain-machine interface so that people
with cerebral palsy or paralysis, for example, can guide computers with their
minds. 

Read the entire article and view a video at:
http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/09/22/brain-movies/

Links:
Gallant Lab
https://sites.google.com/site/gallantlabucb/publications/nishimoto-et-al-2011

Jack Gallant
http://neuroscience.berkeley.edu/users/users_profile.php?id=12