Scientists use Matrix-style learning to ‘write’ skills into human brain noninvasively
Published in Brain/Neurology, Noninvasive.
The wobbling stopped when a participant’s brain activity matched the target pattern, effectively “sculpting” their brain activity towards the desired pattern through this feedback mechanism.
A team of researchers from the University of Rochester, Yale University, and Princeton University has made a big stride in neuroscience.
“With our method not only can we nudge complex patterns around in the brain toward known ones, but also—for the first time—write directly a new pattern into the brain and measure what effect that has on a person’s behavior,” said Dr Coraline Iordan, lead author of the study and assistant professor of brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester.
Researchers focused on visual learning in their study
Participants were placed in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine, which allows for the monitoring of brain activity in real-time.
They were then presented with abstract shapes on a screen. These shapes were programmed to “wobble,” and participants were instructed to attempt to stop this movement using only their minds.
The participants did not know that the “wobbling” was connected to their brain activity. The researchers had pre-defined a specific brain activity pattern associated with a new visual category.
When a participant’s brain activity aligned with this target pattern, the wobbling would cease. This feedback mechanism effectively “sculpted” the participants’ brain activity, guiding them toward the desired pattern.
https://interestingengineering.com/science/implant-information-directly-into-brain