'Neurotech' brain technologies event

25th April, 2008 at the University of Brighton, Students Union building

DATE FOR YOUR DIARY

On 25th April, 2008 at the University of Brighton, Students Union building you will be able to -

• Drive a train by mind power.

• ‘Fly’ through space by re-training your brain waves.

• Entered an altered state of mind with flashing lights.

• Put your memory to the test.

• See your mental activities displayed on a computer screen.

• Transform yourself from a fish to a human through the power of the controlled breath.

NeuroTech 2008, is a brand new event organized by The University of Brighton Psychology Society in conjunction with University of Sussex based Mind Lab International.

The aim of this event is to enable undergraduate students, faculty and members of the public to get the chance to see neuroscience technology at first hand.

Neuroscience is increasingly moving out of the lab and into our everyday lives, in the form of new technologies, which promise to heal, entertain and inform us with deeper insights into ourselves.

Adam Field, secretary of The University Psychology Society and one of the event’s co-organisers explains: " We hope to be featuring the latest brain and physiological technologies, including live demos. I think an interactive element is vital for an event like this to have an appeal beyond psychology students."

Neuroscientist Darren Bridger, Mind Lab International’s co-founder added "Neuroscience is going to have an ever-growing influence on everyday life for many in the coming years. The Neuro-tech fair is a great opportunity for people to come and get first-hand experience of these technologies, and to talk to the people who are developing them."

The event starts at mid-day on 25th April 2008 from 10am to 3pm at The Retreat Cafe,University of Brighton Falmer Campus, Village Way, Falmer, East Sussex. BN1 9PH.

For further details please contact Darren Bridger on 0796 1032450 or Duncan Smith on 07763 407690 e-mail Darren@themindlab.org

Click HERE for a map (the Retreat Cafe is in 'Uckfield House')

New lab

The Mind Lab is pleased to announce that we now have a permanent office/lab at the Sussex Innovation Centre, on the campus of the University of Sussex.

EEG research shows reactions to reading Shakespeare

Shakespeare's works are able to "surprise" the brain by using unexpected and exciting linguistic techniques, according to a new study.

The study used a specialised form of EEG test called the P600, which is what psychologists call an event related potential. In other words its a small electrical signiture which is evoked by a particular reaction to something the person is seeing or hearing.

EEG 'brain ball' game rewards relaxation

The Science Museum is launching a contest to find the most relaxed mind in Britain using a revolutionary ball game.

This EEG-based game is part of the London Science Museum's NeuroBotics exhibition, on until March 2007.

The success of the Nintendo Wii video game - which uses a motion-sensing hand controller - is a good sign that people like novel ways of interacting with electronics games. So perhaps EEG-based games and computer applications will be a common sight within a decade?

A windows media player video of 'Brainball' can be opened HERE.

New research on memory and dreaming

Some interesting new research seems to suggest that one of the reasons for sleep and dreaming is to help us organise and store newly formed memories. The research was conducted with rats, but the scientists believe that the basic mechanisms are probably also common to Humans. What the research found was that during sleep a region of the brain called the hippocampus - which is already known to be involved in forming long term memories - began firing in concert with the neocortex - the outter layer of the brain, responsible for the storage of memories and conscious thought (although to what extent rats are conscious is another matter!). Amazingly, the researchers already know when a rat is remembering the route to a maze it has learned, as certain cells fire when it is recalling each part of the maze; and whilst sleeping the rats seemed to be consolidating this newly acquired knowledge. This is one more peice of evidence to suggest that memory formation is at least one of the things that goes on whilst we are asleep, and possibly is even the reason why we sleep and dream.

The original news report can be read HERE.

Memory masterclass event

The Memory Masterclass is an exclusive talk and seminar to be held at the University of Brighton Medical School on Saturday November 18th 2006. The talk will be given by leading Psychologist, Dr David Lewis, and will feature a live demonstration from 8-times world memory champion Dominic O'Brien.


Read more here

Mindlab project for Ladbrookes mentioned in 'PR Week'

Electric pulses cure comas?

A small but passionate group of doctors say that electricity applied deep in the brain can jolt patients out of irreversible comas. That's when the real problems begin.

This technique raises some very difficult moral questions about conscious awareness: is it cruel or appropriate to keep someone alive in a state of almost total paralysis? Is it desirable and worthwhile to raise the level of awareness of a coma patient up even a tiny amount?

Gaining a sense for electromagnetic fields!

What if, seconds before your laptop began stalling, you could feel the hard drive spin up under the load? Or you could tell if an electrical cord was live before you touched it? For the few people who have rare earth magnets implanted in their fingers, these are among the reported effects -- a finger that feels electromagnetic fields along with the normal sense of touch.

Fascinating article on people who've had magnets embedded in their fingers being able to sense magnetic fields. No doubt in the future there will be many new technological add-ons which allow us to enhance or extend our senses. This raises some interesting philosophical questions. For example: would an artificial eye that was sensitive to a broader spectrum of light than a natural Human eye enable us to perceive new colours?

Brain-Computer interface

Scientists are developing a brain-computer interface for Darpa that could help security officers sift through surveillance video or images 10 times faster than an unaided human.



Interesting article from Wired magazine. This device utilises a brain signal called the P300 which can be measured by EEG equipment, similar to that which we use at the Mind Lab.

62 Optical Illusions & Visual Phenomena

62 Optical Illusions

A fascinating site with a wide range of different optical illusions. Such illusions are not only great fun but can tell us a lot about the inner workings of the brain.