By using a combination of MRI scans and a massive computer database of visual brain activity images, researchers can now “read” images within the brain. The Washington Post is reporting that Professor Jack Gallant of the University of California, Berkeley has invented a process to effectively categorize and “decode” visual activity in the brain.

Although Professor Gallant is quick to point out that the new technology does not amount to “mind reading,” the process does identify and isolate visual activity within the brain, based on millions of possible combinations which are stored in a computer database of known brain activity. The process does not reconstruct visual images of what people are seeing or thinking, though Professor Gallant says that in principle, this should be possible to do.

The research which identified differing images in the mind is fascinating. Volunteers were shown 1750 photographs of different objects and scenes, including food, animals, people, buildings and plants. A brain scan recorded the activity in the volunteers visual cortex region of the brain while being shown each specific image. The brain activity was then categorized and compiled into a huge computer database.

In the last stage of the study, volunteers were again shown photographs while being given an MRI scan. Based on the volunteers previous brain activity, a computer was able to accurately determine which type of image the volunteers were looking at — whether it was a house, person, food or animal. The computer’s success rate in determining the type of image being viewed was often above 90%.

Although the new brain scan technology is in the experimental stage, researchers are already theorizing different ways to use visual image decoding as a medical tool. One exciting possibility would be to use the technology to help determine the effectiveness of medications designed to improve brain function. Psychiatrist could also use the technology to gauge patient biofeedback, or even help interpret dreams.

So far though, the technology is in its infant stage, and much more research will need to be done before computers are able to decode complex visual information within the brain. If perfected however, visual image decoding code radically transform our understanding of how the human brain processes visual information. And because the technology is non-invasive, it could lead to safer treatment for brain injuries and psychological disorders.

Could this be the first step toward computers having the capability of “mind reading?” It’s a scary thought, but in theory, with a large enough brain activity database, a computer may one day be able to identify billions of possible visual images within the mind, and decode the language of our thoughts.

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