MindMods CogSciTech Blog - The latest on biofeedback, consciousness, neuroscience & neurotechnology.

Total news: 28
Last news: June 12, 2008 23:17:12

This is a great article from the now defunct Canadian magazine 'HorizonZero'. The zine was a multimedia web magazine about digital art and culture in Canada. This article is from issue 15 published in 2004 - but this is the first time I've seen it. This article was written by Andrew Brouse. You can check out the other issues at http://www.horizonzero.ca (http://www.horizonzero.ca) http://regen.eyetap.org (http://regen.eyetap.org) Using hardware from Thought Technology... - [Read more]

A company called Ambient (http://www.theaudeo.com/) has developed a device that intercepts signals sent to the voice box from the brain via a sensor laden neck band. They claim to be able to decode these signals and match them to a pre-recorded series of words - even when the words are voiced out-loud. Theses 'words' can then be used to control things via a computer. They are currently using this system to direct a motorized wheelchair, allowing a paralysed person to navigate... - [Read more]

This was from yesterdays New York Times - an article called Living Your Dreams, in a Manner of Speaking. It talks a little about the concept of lucid dreaming, but also focuses on a new movie being written and directed by Jake Paltrow called "The Good Night". Living Your Dreams, in a Manner of Speaking Established sleep researchers say lucid dreaming is occasionally reported by subjects, though it is difficult to validate scientifically. “Yes, lucid dreaming exists,”... - [Read more]

NextFest (http://wirednextfest.com/inform/event_overview.php) is Wired Magazine's (http://www.wired.com) four-day festival of innovative products and technologies. We blogged about MindBall last year, which is the commercialized version of Brainball. BrainBall is a game created by Interactive Institute. Players of the game have EEG sensors connected to their forehead with a strap. The electrodes in the strap read the players' brainwaves. Brainball is a game that goes against the... - [Read more]

There has been a surge of interest in binaural beats during recent years, and a number of software only products that utilize this technology have become quite popular. What are they? A binaural beat is generated from two tones. Each tone is of a slightly different pitch. One tone is presented to the left ear, and the other to the right. The two tones combine into a single tone sensed by your brain. This single tone pulse is the stimulating when entraining with binaural beats.... - [Read more]

Free access to: Journal of Biological Rhythms here (https://online.sagepub.com/cgi/register?registration=FTN72663) (requires registration) - [Read more]

From Engadget: http://www.engadget.com/2007/03/16/g-tecs-thought-control-hat/ (http://www.engadget.com/2007/03/16/g-tecs-thought-control-hat/) - [Read more]

Nancy Leo, a senior at Arizonas Hamilton High School, had her science fair research project selected as one of 18 projects to be presented at the Sixth World Congress on Stress in Austria (http://www.icms.com.au/stress2007/). here (http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/96499) - [Read more]

PBSs Closer to Truth featuring Christof Koch, Leslie Brothers, Joseph E. Bogen Stuart Hameroff try to answer this question. These four scientists have the same question but give four different answers. (http://www.mindmodulations.com/mindmods//images/blogimages//Morning_Consciousness.jpg) Is Consciousness Definable? One problem is that there are too many definitions! And getting these four guests to agree on what consciousness is and what causes it, is a fun but hopeless task that... - [Read more]

There are sites on the net that claim to teach the ability, theres an International Remote Viewing Association (http://www.irva.org/) that even has conferences (http://irvaconference.org/) (theres one starting on October 19th, apparently), the US government has funded research in it (http://www.fas.org/irp/program/collect/stargate.htm) (in the 1970s), weve even had customers buy our mind machines to help them with remote viewing and claim great success. Ive never had any type of experiences... - [Read more]

This paper is called "Consciousness Redux" and is something of a history of theoretical positions on the function of consciousness. It was written by George Mandler of the University of California University College London. Consciousness Redux George Mandler University of California, San Diego and University College London Copyright (C) 1993 George Mandler I start with a review of 20 years of proposals on the functions of consciousness. I then present a minimal number of... - [Read more]

MorrisonDance, a dance troupe founded by choreographer Sarah Morrison, teamed up with a team of engineers from NASA's Glenn Research Center to create a performance featuring live brainwaves of dancers using the BrainMaster. This is actually from September 2005 - but just in case you missed it: (like I did!) - [Read more]

Found on Neurofeedback on the Brain Blog (http://neurofeedback.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2007/9/5/3197992.html) here (http://brainpaint.com/gallery1/index.html) More on Bill Scotts EEG biofeedback system here (http://www.brainpaint.com/) - [Read more]

Budapest University of Technology and Economics (http://www.bme.hu/en/) are using GSR Biofeedback (Galvonic Skin Response, or skin conductance) in a study where theyve shown that a gamers actions can be predicted up to two seconds before they occur. Laufer says "There are quite a few situations in life where there would be a need to provide a support for making a good decision at a good time. I have military applications (pilots) in mind, but surely we can find others as well." He... - [Read more]

What are they and how do they work? Of course everyone reading this already knows :) But it helps to have a quick reminder to refresh our memory every once in a while. Having a basic understanding about these special chemicals in our brain and how they work helps us to understand memory, learning, behavior, addiction, how drugs work, and emotions. First well quickly go over some of the most important neurotransmitters. Acetylcholine: The first neurotransmitter to be identified. It... - [Read more]

I just wanted to drop a big note apologizing for the lack of updates to the blog - I have a lot of catching up to do. We were busy moving into our new office and finishing construction. Ill try to post any news that we may have missed during the past two weeks. Thanks! Gary @ Mind Modulations - [Read more]

From NPR (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12487035) here (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12487035) to listen to an audio recording of Wagner discussion the teams findings. - [Read more]

Scientists from Wellcome Trust claim to have identified for the first time what happens in our brain in the face of an approaching fear. They measured activity in the brain using fMRI while a subject played a game similar to Pac-Man and received an electric-shocks when they were caught by the video game predator. They found that activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (behind the eyebrows) increased when the enemy was in the distance - this part of the brain is active when one is... - [Read more]

The DANA Foundation has decided to make their book "The Dana Guide to Brain Health: A Practical Family Reference from Medical Experts" section on brain disorders freely available online. Amazon.com: (http://www.amazon.com/Dana-Guide-Brain-Health-Practical/dp/1932594108/sr=8-2/qid=1163520801/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/104-0198729-2864725?ie=UTF8 s=books) With contributions from over one hundred of the most prominent scientists and clinicians in the United States, The Dana Guide to Brain Health is an... - [Read more]

The following is a study used lucid dreamers to determine the subjective measurement of time in dreams - by Daniel Erlacher and Michael Schredl from Germany. Time required for motor activity in lucid dreams Daniel Erlacher - Institute for Sport and Sport Science, University of Heidelberg, Germany Michael Schredl - Sleep laboratory, Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany Summary The present study investigated the relationship between the required time for... - [Read more]