From: copley-devon@CS.YALE.EDU (Devon Copley)
Subject: Re: TECH: Neural Interfacing
Date: 14 Dec 1992 20:18:03 -0500
Organization: Yale University Computer Science Dept., New Haven, CT 06520-2158


In article <1992Dec14.014522.6624@u.washington.edu> dstampe@psych.toronto.edu (Dave Stampe) writes:
>
>Potentially, you could train yourself by biofeedback to associate certain
>commands with whatever gave an EEG signal detectable by the computer.
>But I don't think that's what we're looking for.  
>

Couldn't biofeedback be the crucial part of developing a really powerful input
device?  I'm going to make a couple of assumptions; if they're true (and I 
really have no proof that they are, though if anyone has some, please offer 
it) perhaps "thinking at your computer" isn't impossible.

1: We "learn" to use much of our nervous system through painstakingly 
repeating and practicing actions, strengthening the neural connections 
and pathways associated with them.  And I'm not just talking about learning
how to play the piano, either: simple things like moving your index finger
reliably are a result of long years of refining that output, by basically
firing a few motor neurons and watching what happens.

2: A reciever can be implanted in the brain, sensing the output of a large
number of neurons.

Admittedly, now, a non-destructive (2) is pretty far from reality, and
the only concrete examples I can come up with of (1) are in the motor
realm (although that in itself might not be a problem).

My point is, though, that to some degree it MAY NOT MATTER which neurons
the computer senses, because if an appropriate feedback mechanism is
provided, the subject will "figure it out" for himself, and with 
practice could conceivably develop the same precise control over the
computer as I have over my right hand.

Am I way off base here?  Are there many neurons in the cortex whose output
we have no control over no matter how much feedback we get?  

[Flame deflector on:]
I'm afraid my knowledge of low-level cortical structures is very tenuous. 
Please enlighten me.

Devon


-- 
_______________________________________________________________________________
Devon M. Copley		       					Yale University
copley-devon@cs.yale.edu       Theatre Studies, Computer Science and Psychology
COPDEVM@YALEVM.BITNET		       "No matter where you go, there you are."