Scanning our thoughts

[Tunnelcat]

Just creepy. Using a functional MRI and computational modeling, medical science is getting closer to actually seeing what our brains are thinking when we see or watch something. They can then show that result as a pictorial representation on a video screen. It's not a perfect translation, but it's still a little weird. I notice that the images of people seem to work out the best.

[Duper]

Article referenced

[Tunnelcat]

Thanks Duper.

[Pandora]

very impressive. but note that they reconstruct their images from the visual areas of the brain, so its not really "thinking", but a window into the machinery that decodes the external world. and that's a quite truthful representation, with stuff on the left in the world, being on the far right of the visual cortex, etc.

also note that they need need to train their mechanism for hours for each participant before they can decode anything.

still super impressive, though.

[Krom]

I'm not so sure I'd really want to spend hours with my head in an MRI machine for just about any reason. Being able to read someones brain might be pointless if you melt it in the process.

[R e v]

Average background radiation exposure ranges from 3.6 - 6 millisievert per year in common studies.

One MRI scan exposed an individual to, on average, about 3.1 millisievert.

Good stuff, you will have a third arm in no time.

[Krom]

Actually the average background radiation dose is about 3.1 millisiverts per year (variable depending on where you are), the 6 figure comes from exposure from medical imaging and the bulk of that is from CT scans. MRI scans don't use ionizing radiation.

[Pandora]

what Krom says. fMRI uses magnets, not radiation. Its only dangerous if you have metal in your body (or if you are claustrophobic).

[snoopy]

what Krom says. fMRI uses magnets, not radiation. Its only dangerous if you have metal in your body (or if you are claustrophobic).

...Until some new study comes out showing that it can have negative effects. MRI's are pretty cool, though. Krom's also right that CT scans are the ones that do damage with too much exposure.

[dissent]

I like the way that they used to just call it NMR, but switched to MRI to remove the word "nuclear" from the medical scanning process; people would get scared, even though their bodies are full of nuclei.

[Tunnelcat]

what Krom says. fMRI uses magnets, not radiation. Its only dangerous if you have metal in your body (or if you are claustrophobic).

Actually, an MRI causes thermal effects on biologic tissues, not just metals. It will phsically heat the tissues it's scanning!

http://www.mrisafety.com/safety_article.asp?subject=179

[Pandora]

yup, heating can be an issue, especially when the radiographer doesn't know what he is doing. In general though, if you don't cross your legs you should be fine. I have been in an MRI dozens of times for an hour or more and have never experienced anything.

[Avder]

Stuff like this just makes me wonder how long it will be until our dreams are brought to us by lightspeed briefs, or other forced commercial endorsements.

[Krom]

Stuff like this just makes me wonder how long it will be until our dreams are brought to us by lightspeed briefs, or other forced commercial endorsements.

Since I rarely remember dreams, does that mean I would have adblock installed even in my brain?