In article 94Nov25093737 at acs.bu.edu, dorman at acs.bu.edu (Clark Dorman) writes:
>> In article <3b4qec$7r5 at lyra.csx.cam.ac.uk> 92tad at eng.cam.ac.uk (T.A. Donaldson) writes:
>> > I have heard about an experiment in which a computer was able to pick up
> >and understand the THOUGHTS Yes or No, and also move a cursor around the
> >screen by picking up thoughts.
> >
> > I understand that this was done by using SQUIDS (superconducting quantum
> >interference devices), and have found a lot of articles on the technical side
> >of setting up SQUIDS (see IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity
> >1993), which suggest that this is possible.
> >
> > However, I have not found any article in which the meaning of the neural
> >data collected was succesfully understood by computer.
> >
> > Does anyone know of the research I am talking about and could tell me what
> >journal articles apply? Anyone got any related information?
> >
> > Tom Donaldson
> >
>> In the Health/Science section of the Boston Globe, on Monday, August 16, 1993,
> there was an article about several researchers do work on this area. Not
> exactly a peer-reviewed journal.
>> The systems have been used to do several things, including such publicity
> stunts as steering a boat. Most of the systems use scalp electrodes rather
> than SQUIDs.
>> People mentioned in the article:
>> Andrew Junker, from Yellow Springs, Ohio, engineer. (boat steering)
>> Dr. Jonathan Wolpaw, neurologist, and Dennis McFarland, psychologist,
> at NY State Health department (cursor moving)
>> Grant McMillan, director of brain-actuated research program at Wright
> Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio (missile selection, radar mode, etc.)
>> Eric Sutter, scientist at Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research (disabled
> computer interface)
>> Dr. Emanuel Donchin, psychology prof at U. of Illinois (letter typing)
>> You might try searching on the people above, especially Donchin.
>> Personally, I am _extremely_ skeptical that what is happening is based upon
> brain patterns. Because they are using scalp electrodes in most cases (where
> the equipment is even mentioned), the noise from muscles can easily swamp the
> brain waves. If you look at scalp recording in other fields, they usually
> have to average over many operations to determine the underlying brain
> activity. Most of these people are probably fooling themselves into thinking
> that they are getting brain waves, when what is really happening is that the
> subjects are learning to contract various muscles in the scalp. Just as you
> can learn to wiggle your ears by simply practicing in front of a mirror, you
> can learn to move your other muscles.
>> I think that the systems, even if based on muscle contractions, can be very
> useful for the disabled. A combination system, based on visual tracking, with
> cues from scalp recording, could be more useful than the systems that are
> based purely on visual tracking now.
>> Even if the researchers _are_ getting brain measurements, don't expect any
> sort of decoding of the brain activity that will give any content. Examine
> the PET, MRI, and CAT scanning literature. The researchers in those fields
> are still working on determining where activity occurs, and in what order,
> when different tasks are being done.
>> Clark Dorman
> Cognitive and Neural Systems
> Boston University
>>
Also include Joachim Kalcher in Medical Informatics at Graz U. of Technology Austria.
He works with Wolpaw's group. They are primarly focusing on brain activity that proceeds muscle movement. Training a neural network to classify differences between left and right hand finger movements.
Donchin's group mostly look at P-300 oddball activity. The subject watches a matrix of letters and when their choice appears a large P-300 is illicited. Subject is able to type out sentances using this method. Approx 3 letters a minute!
McMillian's group uses a light that flashes at a constant rate (approx 13Hz). the spontaneous EEG is then thresholded at that frequency. Above the threshold a flight simulator rolls right, below the threshold it rolls left.
