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closeWhat would be the next step?
Posted by MikhailLebedev on 03 Sep 2014 at 20:35 GMT
This is an important demonstrations that extends previous findings in rats (Pais-Vieira et al. 2013) to human research. Although the information transfer rate in such a brain-to-brain interface is currently low, there is a considerable potential for improvement. Obviously, the system will become much more impressive if a multichannel information transfer is implemented. The delivery of such information could be performed through an electrode grid (or a grid of optical fibers if optogenetic stimulation is chosen). Additionally, there is a lot to be improved on the sending side. Here, spatial resolution can be improved tremendously using fMRI (at a cost of a slower decoding speed, though). The interface between the sender and receiver needs more research. Curiously, the simplest interface, that does not distort the original signal, has a chance of reproducing a brain state in the brain of another person. Who knows -- this may be the way to reproduce the redness of red. Of course the experiment may show that another person perceive what you would call "green" when he is shown red...
RE: What would be the next step?
ruffini replied to MikhailLebedev on 04 Sep 2014 at 22:52 GMT
Indeed, there are so many things to be tried. I am specially interested in the potential of multi-channel / multi-site stimulation techniques (non-invasive, such as transcranial current stimulation). Hitting brain networks should create very interesting information for both the read/write aspects of B2B.
I agree that the simplest interfaces (i.e., that just play back the electric fields generated by the emitter's brain) could produce surprising results (one could use the term tele-ephaptic communication quite appropriately!). More conservative alternatives include tACS.
Realizing the "natural" codes used by the brain is the ultimate vision (reproducing the redness of red, the taste of an apple as opposed to abstract binary streams) and would represent a major breakthrough. We need to continue exploring to understand how the brain encodes such phenomena and use them for the CBI encoder.
RE: RE: What would be the next step?
MikhailLebedev replied to ruffini on 06 Sep 2014 at 04:43 GMT
By the way, stimulation-induced suppression of cortical processing could be put in action, as well. For example,if a P300 response in one subjects triggers a suppressing TMS pulse in the other, this paradigm can work as B2B based on a NOT logic gate.