Can You Tivo Your Dreams?

Posted by Greg Scott _Featured_, Science Thursday, October 28th, 2010

Scientists have developed a way in which dreams could soon be recorded.  Researchers plan to create a dream recorder that will process electronic information.  Volunteers allowed scientists to surgically implant electrodes into their brains so that they could get direct access to brain activity.

Dr. Moran Cerf said that one benefit of this technology could be to communicate with people that are in comas.

The scientists tested 12 epilepsy patients and monitored the neurological activity in the medial temporal lobe which is key to memory retention.  The patients were capable of controlling how images would appear after continued practice.  They were able to make an image of Marilyn Monroe or former president Bush appear or disappear on command.  The volunteers developed their own techniques to manipulate the images and have attained a 70 percent success rate.

The Caltech researcher, Dr. Cerf, said, “The patients clearly found this task to be incredibly fun as they started to feel that they control things in the environment purely with their thought.”

Source: Mail Online

Photo: Creative Commons nesster