Braingain

Dutch Braingain consortium will apply research findings to realise direct communication between the brain and computers. Radboud University in Nijmegen, together with the universities of Maastricht and Twente, the Dutch organisation for applied research, and several industrial partners and patient organisations are combining their expertise in Brain-Computer and Computer-Brain Interfacing. Their mission is to apply recent developments in the area of analysing and influencing brain activity to the improvement of quality of life and performance for both patients and healthy users. Brain Computer Interfacing In Brain Computer Interfacing (BCI), a direct connection is set up between the brain and a computer, in which the user drives the computer by thought. Technological advances are progressing sufficiently quickly in this area of research, to soon realise a method of communication for patients who are fully paralyzed and unable to speak, such as in amyothrophe lateral sclerosis (ALS). This can be done through mental actions such as the imagining of movement or attending to a certain sound. Fundamental neurocognitive research is starting to show how these mental actions are represented in the brain, and how we can detect these actions. A number of companies manufacturing supportive products for the handicapped will cooperate in making this technology available to patients with ALS or spinal chord injury. Controlling mental activity BCI can also be applied to situations in which no device needs to be driven. Users get information about their brain activity, so that they can learn to control it. This offers great opportunities for treatment of disorders in which, for instance, an excess of activity in certain regions causes someone to be anxious or hear voices. Research efforts in Maastricht are leading the development of these new therapeutic methods. The unpleasant side effects of medication that controls this brain activity can thus be avoided. Implanted electrodes can be used to detect natural brain signals but can also stimulate nerve cells directly. Spectacular results have been shown for this technique in reducing tremors in Parkinson patients, a progressive disease that has been posing an increasing social problem. Additionally, learning to reduce chronic pain aa well as epileptic seizures are important issues for the partners of the BrainGain consortium. Unproven claims Recent developments in neurofeedback training have claimed that learning to control simple aspects of one's own brain signals treats a broad range of disorders. Although it would be wonderful if widespread problems, such as the great number of children with ADHD, could be tackled in this way. Researchers however tend to be critical about these claims. In cooperation with patient organizations thorough studies will be conducted into the mechanism and efficiency of these simple systems, to evaluate the use of neurofeedback. Also for healthy users The psychiatric and neurological professionals in the consortium also want to investigate the use of modern methods of analysis of brain signals for specifically developed therapies. These developments could also be applied to the needs of healthy users, in terms of health, performance, or quality of life. The cost of stress to the society are high, and learning to relax, concentrate or meditate could provide a useful application of BCI for healthy users. Research with an economical perspective In order to also create an economical impulse, the consortium will develop a broad range of applications, which will allow healthy users to also benefit from the newly developed technologies. Possible applications include entertainment, such as computer games driven by brain signals. Or, in more professional surroundings, to present information on a computer screen only when visual attention is detected, such as might be useful for air traffic controllers or customs officials checking scanned luggage. The Computer Science departments in Nijmegen and Twente will further develop the complex analyses of the brain signals, as well as the user interfaces. Several companies, ranging from very small to very large, will be involved in commercializing the research findings. The Dutch Applied Science Organization will also act as a mediator between researchers and industrial partners, and develop and evaluate the new technologies. Together with industrial and user-end organizations, researchers recognize that analysis of patterns of brain activity, as well as influencing brain activity, yields many opportunities for commercial and social innovation. The time has come to further develop and especially to start applying this knowledge.