Wednesday, November 24, 2010

How to Train Your Own Brain

How to Train Your Own Brain: "

This fMRI scan highlights areas that are most active during two thought processes: One (SMA) is active when subjects think about tennis, the other (PPA) lights up when they imagine roaming through a familiar space. (Anna Rose Childress, University of Pennsylvania)


Neuroscientists at the University of Pennsylvania have used a combination of brain-scanning and feedback techniques to train subjects to move a cursor up and down with their thoughts. The subjects could perform this task after just five minutes of training.


The researchers achieved that by designing a new system of whole-brain imaging and pairing it with an algorithm that lets them determine which regions of the brain are most centrally involved in a certain thought process, instead of using signals from the whole brain.


They plan to develop specialized tasks to figure out how to apply this to addiction and other disorders.

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