Scan can read minds

The British, German and Japanese researchers said that sophisticated functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and computer programs enabled them to predict with 70 percent accuracy what a person is about to do.

The technique was tested on volunteers who were asked to think about doing maths addition or subtraction. While they did this, fMRI was used to monitor their brain activity for a few seconds. That data was fed into a computer programmed to recognise certain brain activation patterns associated with specific thoughts, BBC News reported.

Once the computer is "trained," it can use brain activity alone to predict a person's decisions, the researchers said.

The study appears in the journal Current Biology. This kind of technology may have a number of uses, including helping paralysed people manipulate prosthetic devices and other equipment, the team said. – (HealthDayNews)

February 2007