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Brain to Brain InterfacesAlvin Vuong
Brain to Brain Communication• How is it possible?
▫Two-way interface Brain to Computer Interface Computer to Brain Interface
• Read from brain▫EEG (Electroencephalography)
• Write to brain▫TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation)
• Basically telepathy.
Part 1: Reading from the Brain•EEG•a.k.a: Electroencephalography
▫“the recording of electrical activity along the scalp”
EEG•Electrodes to record voltage fluctuations.
•Placed above different areas of head (brain).
•Raw voltage data needs to be interpreted.
•Example…▫Neuroheadsets:
BCI’s•Brain to Computer Interfaces
•Using EEG system to process the neural activity in certain regions of the brain.
•Different lobes (areas of the brain) correspond to different functions: seeing, hearing, thinking, etc.
Brain mapping•For example:
▫AF/F: Frontal lobe Decision making Judgment
▫T: Temporal lobe Auditory Cortex
▫P: Parietal lobe Spatial representation
▫O: Occipital lobe Visual cortex
My own project (@CalHacks)• Using a consumer neuroheadset (Emotiv EPOC),
grab data from brain.
• Specifically, P7/P8: Parietal lobe
• If activity in that region hits a certain variance threshold, send a motor command to a rover (Arduino).
• If the user imagines the rover going forward, it will move forward.
Other ways to read from brain•Implanted electrodes (surgical)
▫Electrocorticography (ECoG)
•Magnets▫Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
(fMRI)▫Magnetoencephalography (MEG)
Part 2: Writing to the Brain•TMS•a.k.a: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
▫use of a magnet to stimulate neurons in the brain
TMS•Electromagnetic induction from a coil of wire.
•Produce a magnetic field that induces the polarization of neurons
•Current in the brain is produced.
•Different types of coils = various magnetic fields▫Round coil = original type▫H-coil = deep transcranial stimulation
Merton and Morton Experiment•1980•Use of transcranial stimulation
▫(not magnetic yet)▫Direct shocks to the scalp. Ouch.
•Were able to stimulate motor cortex of the brain
•Send a signal to stimulate muscle contractions in the hand.
•Modern techniques use electromagnets.
Other ways to write to brain•Implanted electrodes (surgical)
▫Again, the easiest way to interact with the brain is with direct contact.
•Focused Ultrasound (FUS)▫Only has been done on animals.▫Usually only used to destroy damaged
tissue in humans.
Part 3: Brain-to-Brain•Combine EEG and TMS.
•Read from one person’s brain.
•Write to the other.
•Simple isn’t it?
Rao et al.• Experiment to create a functional brain-to-brain
interface.
• Cooperative game to shoot down rockets using a cannon.
• One person “decides to shoot” and the other must physically press touchpad to shoot.
• Only communication between the two is the Brain-to-Brain interface.
Rao RPN, Stocco A, Bryan M, Sarma D, et al. (2014) A Direct Brain-to-Brain Interface in Humans. PLoS ONE 9(11): e111332. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0111332http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0111332
Limitations•Limited to certain types of information:
▫Visual▫Auditory▫Motor
•More complex/abstract thoughts will need to be understood first before being able to communicate them.▫How to communicate feelings? Love, hate,
etc.?
Applications/Implications• Actual real telepathy
▫ Everyone can become Charles Xavier.
• Sharing dreams?▫ Visual, auditory, and motor information. Very possible.
• One-to-many Brain-to-Brain Interface▫ A single sender broadcasts a signal to multiple receivers.
• Many-to-one Brain-to-Brain Interface▫ Multiple senders submitting signals to one receiver.