New video of how scientists reconstruct the movies in our minds

UC Berkeley scientists Jack Gallant and Shinji Nishimoto wowed the world earlier this fall when they reconstructed what was happening in the brain’s visual cortex as people watched movie clips. Now you can watch it yourself in this new video of their work.

UC Berkeley video by Roxanne Makasdjian

The researchers recorded brain activity as people viewed film clips and used the data to create a computer program that acts as a dictionary for translating brain activity back into moving images. Using the new computer model with data from subjects’ brain scans, they were able to reconstruct the moving images people viewed.

Eventually, researchers say, the technology could help severely incapacitated patients communicate. It may also lay the groundwork for brain-machine devices that would allow people to guide computers with their minds.

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Gallant explains his vision reconstruction research on PBS NewsHour on Jan. 2, 2012