Brain-to-Brain Interface Experiment

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Table of Contents

Abstract
Goals of the Experiment
The Model
The Techniques
Results of the Experiment
Discussion and Conclusion
Works Cited

Abstract

The proponents of the study described the first Brain-to-Brain interface experiment. The focus is on the feasibility and workability of the interface, with respect to transmission times in all stages of signal transmission, creating a basic framework for the creation of and advancement of B2B technologies. The proponents of the study utilized EEG and TMS technologies to record a signal from the “Sender’s” motor cortex, and send it via the Internet to the TMS device placed on the “Receiver’s” motor cortex. The sender’s signal is superimposed upon the brain of the receiver, causing a response that satisfies the principle condition of the game task. However, it is important to point out that the experiment was merely a sophisticated version of the well-known knee jerk reflex experiment. There was no meaningful interaction between “Sender” and “Receiver” to warrant the claim that one human being was able to communicate to another human being without using any form of linguistic device. Nevertheless, the said experiment was a major stepping stone towards the creation of a brain-to-brain interface technology that would allow complex actions, such as, the efficient knowledge and skill transfer between a novice and an expert.

Goals of the Experiment

The proponents of the study described an experiment by which they test the functionality of a brain-to-brain (B2B) device. This experimental setup involves the use of the technologies of Electroencephalography (EEG) and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) respectively to record, and send encoded brain signals via the Internet. The proponents of the study crafted a proof of concept experiment where they test the question: is it possible to create a connection between two human brains, and therefore create a B2B device?

The Model

To test their hypothesis, the proponents of the study devised a relatively simple experiment whereby three pairs of respondents were connected to each other using a BBI setup comprised of EEG and TMS. They engaged in a cooperative task in the form of a game. This setup enables the experimenters to not only determine if their prototypical B2B device is a success, but also to assess its performance. The game features either a rocket or a friendly plane flying across the “Sender’s” screen, requiring the “Sender” to move the receiver’s hand by using the B2B device. This enables the sender to decide to use the receiver’s hand to click a button to shoot the rocket. If the “Sender” understands the significance of the supply plane, he refrains from taking any action therefore preventing the transmission of the “shoot to destroy” signal to the “Receiver.” This simple experiment is a manipulation of a response test in which a subject responds to a prompt by clicking the correct button as fast as they can. In this case, it tests the response, and thus the connection between two conscious subjects as they collaborate to complete a task.

The Techniques

The experiment included three pairs of subjects, and took place in four randomized blocks, two of which were control while the remaining two were experimental. During the control blocks the TMS coil placement was rotated, breaking the circuit to the receiver’s motor cortex whereas during the experimental blocks the BBI circuit was unbroken. The EEG procedure was prefaced by training sessions. The sender subjects had an EEG placed on them, and made to move a one-dimensional cursor by imagining wrist movement. The motor signals are emitted in the mu band (8-12 Hz) and picked up by the EEG to be routed to the receiver. The TMS procedure was also prefaced by training and calibration sessions where the subjects were screened and the TMS machine was calibrated to their individual motor cortex: specifically the coil is placed on top of the part of the cortex that controls the extensor carpi radialis, the muscle that extends the wrist, thereby causing an upward motion of the hand. The game the subjects played forced them to collaborate, and fostered the use of the BBI.

Results of the Experiment

The “Sender” was able to communicate with the “Receiver” using a non-invasive approach. This capability was confirmed using an ingenious research methodology that includes placing respondents in two different buildings that are located one mile from each other. The considerable distance was the assurance that the “Sender” was unable to use any type of audiovisual signals to communicate with the “Receiver.” The proponents of the study were able to prove that a communication link was established by observing a game task that allowed them to measure the outcomes of the experiment. The validity of the experiment was enhanced, when the experimenter added the control part of the research methodology. With regards to the “control” pair, the “Sender” was still able to send signals to the “Receiver”; however, the “Receiver” was unable to process the signal. It was due to the manipulation of the “Receiver’s” cap, and it prevented the brain from interpreting the signal transmitted by the “Sender.” Thus, the wrist movements were not made in random but as a direct reaction to the signals sent by the “Sender.” In fact, the control pair was unable to record any hits to the missile or the airplane.

Discussion and Conclusion

The strength and weakness of the experiment can be found in the introduction portion of the document that described the first direct brain-to-brain interface in humans. The introduction portion of the document succeeded in whetting the appetite of the readers creating interest in knowing more about the study. The readers are interested to learn more about the outcome of the study, because the proponents pointed out that “a great deal of the information available to our brain is not introspectively available to our consciousness, and thus cannot be voluntarily put in linguistic form” (Rao et al. 1). They proceeded to enhance the level of interested by implying that the experiment is a stepping stone to solve the problem experienced by master surgeons and expert musicians who are desperately trying to transfer their knowledge and expertise to a novice. However, the aforementioned limitation in communication prevented them from simply telling a student how to exactly “position and move the fingers during execution of critical hand movements” (Rao et al. 1). In other words a successful brain-to-brain communication eliminates the problems that are inherent in linguistic communication. The student and the teacher do not have to grapple with awkward and imperfect human speech. It is a problematic setting especially if one considers the interaction between two people that came from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

Due to the way the statements were phrased, the readers expected that the said experiment would provide a solution to the aforementioned problem. It seems to have been implied that the proponents of the study were able to develop a foolproof way to demonstrate brain-to-brain interface while performing simple tasks. No one expected that the first brain-to-brain interface would yield dramatic results, such as, the ability to control another human beings actions just through the power of thought. Nevertheless, the expectation was quite high. The expected result was that the “Sender” should have been able to communicate a simple message to the “Receiver.” For example, the “Sender” should have communicated the desire to move a finger or a toe. But a closer examination of the methodology, and the outcome of the experiment revealed that the study was merely a sophisticated rendition of a knee-jerk reflex experiment. In a knee-jerk reflex experiment, the respondent sits cross-legged in a chair while the experimenter taps the knee with a small hammer. The knee-jerk reflex creates an involuntary movement of the muscle causing the top most leg to move forward in a quick jerk like motion. A variation of the knee jerk reflex phenomenon is the use of an electric current to move the lifeless limb of a dead frog.

It can be argued that the brain-to-brain interface experiment described in the study was a sophisticated variant of the knee jerk reflex. But instead of using a hammer to cause the involuntary movement of a body part, the experiment calls for the use of a sophisticated set up that allows the experimenter to send signals directly to the brain. The electric signal sent to the motor-sensory area of the “Receiver’s” brain caused the involuntary movement of the wrist that was interpreted by the mouse pad as a clicking motion. It was considered as the primary evidence that two human beings can communicate with each other using a brain-to-brain interface even in the absence of any type of audiovisual signal coming from the “Sender” or “Receiver.”

Although the research design did not lead to the realization of high expectations, the experiment was ground breaking as a stepping-stone towards complex brain-to-brain interaction in the future. The experiment was able to prove that non-invasive interface is possible. This is an important development because “invasive modalities need to implant microelectrode arrays inside the skull within the brain, which involves expert surgeons with high precision skills” (Hassanien and Azar 280). In addition, invasive modalities leads to the scarring of the brain tissue that reduces the efficacy of the transmittal device and increases the health risk to the patient.

Aside from demonstrating the efficacy of non-invasive techniques in brain-to-brain interface, this experiment also revealed the advances made when it comes to understanding the different functionalities of different areas of the brain. In this particular experiment, the experimenter knew which area of the brain to manipulate using electric signals to force a voluntary action on another human being. Thus, scientists are not going to start from scratch in creating similar types of experiments. Neuroscientists are encouraged to focus on other areas of the brain such as the area that controls audio and visual perceptions (Richmond, Rees, and Edwards 38). Neuroscientists must develop an experiment to test the viability of sending communication signals directly into these areas to determine if meaningful communication using brain-to-rain interface is possible. It is time to move beyond the knee jerk reflex experiment that characterized this particular study. In the future, state-of-the art BBIs can lead to the creation of a sophisticated teaching tool that enables experts to affect an efficient means of knowledge and skills transfer to their students.

Works Cited

Hassanien, Aboul and Ahmad Azar. Brain-Computer Interfaces. New York: Springer, 2104. Print.

Rao, Rajesh et al. “A Direct Brain-to-Brain Interface in Humans.” PLOS ONE 2014: 1-12. Print.

Richmond, Sarah, Geraint Rees, and Sarah Edwards. I Know What You’re Thinking. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012. Print.

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