Abstract
We present, to our knowledge, the first demonstration that a non-invasive brain-to-brain interface (BBI) can be used to allow one human to guess what is on the mind of another human through an interactive question-and-answering paradigm similar to the “20 Questions” game. As in previous non-invasive BBI studies in humans, our interface uses electroencephalography (EEG) to detect specific patterns of brain activity from one participant (the “respondent”), and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to deliver functionally-relevant information to the brain of a second participant (the “inquirer”). Our results extend previous BBI research by (1) using stimulation of the visual cortex to convey visual stimuli that are privately experienced and consciously perceived by the inquirer; (2) exploiting real-time rather than off-line communication of information from one brain to another; and (3) employing an interactive task, in which the inquirer and respondent must exchange information bi-directionally to collaboratively solve the task. The results demonstrate that using the BBI, ten participants (five inquirer-respondent pairs) can successfully identify a “mystery item” using a true/false question-answering protocol similar to the “20 Questions” game, with high levels of accuracy that are significantly greater than a control condition in which participants were connected through a sham BBI.
Highlights
Direct brain-to-brain interfaces (BBIs) are technologies that combine neuroimaging and neurostimulation methods to exchange information between brains directly in neural code
We report results from a new experiment that overcomes the limitations of these previous studies by increasing both the complexity of the tasks performed with a non-invasive BBI in humans, and the quantity of information transferred between two brains
This paper presents the successful demonstration of a new, non-invasive BBI in humans, which allowed pairs of participants to successfully collaborate and complete a series of question-and-answer games using information transferred between their brains
Summary
Direct brain-to-brain interfaces (BBIs) are technologies that combine neuroimaging and neurostimulation methods to exchange information between brains directly in neural code. All of the existing human BBIs have adopted two standard, non-invasive, and relatively safe technologies; electroencephalography (EEG [8]) to record brain activity, and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS [9]) to modulate neural activity. Using these two technologies, Rao and colleagues [5] were able to detect the intention of moving the right hand in a sender, and induce the intended movement in the right hand of a receiver, allowing the pair to jointly cooperate to solve a visuomotor task. Grau and colleagues [6], on the other hand, were able to transfer information between pairs of participants in the form of neurally modulated visual percepts, which could be decoded as words by the receiver through a pre-arranged code
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
