A team of researchers from the University of Rochester, Yale University, and Princeton University has made a big stride in neuroscience.
They have shown a method to induce learning through the direct manipulation of brain activity patterns.
This technique uses real-time brain imaging and neurofeedback. It bypasses learning processes that require effort, study, or practice.
“With our method not only can we nudge complex patterns around in the brain toward known ones, but also—for the first time—write directly a new pattern into the brain and measure what effect that has on a person’s behavior,” said Dr Coraline Iordan, lead author of the study and assistant professor of brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester.
Researchers focused on visual learning in their study
Participants were placed in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine, which allows for the monitoring of brain activity in real-time.
They were then presented with abstract shapes on a screen. These shapes were programmed to “wobble,” and participants were instructed to attempt to stop this movement using only their minds.
The participants did not know that the “wobbling” was connected to their brain activity. The researchers had pre-defined a specific brain activity pattern associated with a new visual category.
When a participant’s brain activity aligned with this target pattern, the wobbling would cease. This feedback mechanism effectively “sculpted” the participants’ brain activity, guiding them toward the desired pattern.
Learning without any conscious awareness
“Instead of teaching you something and measuring how your brain changes, we wrote a new category into your brain that would have appeared had you learned it yourself,” explained Iordan.
Through this process, participants successfully learned to recognize new visual categories without any conscious awareness of what those categories were. This shows the brain’s ability to learn without effort or instruction.
“One of the striking features of the study is that the neural responses and corresponding behavior to the new categories occurred without explicit awareness of those categories,” said Dr Jonathan Cohen, a neuroscientist at Princeton University and co-author of the study.
“We essentially turned learning on its head and taught your brain something that caused you to vicariously gain information, even though you were never explicitly given that information,” added Iordan.
Potential applications
This technology has many possible uses. It could change education by speeding up learning, particularly for individuals with learning challenges.
It could also be used for rehabilitation. For example, it could help stroke patients recover brain functions. Additionally, the ability to change brain activity could lead to treatments for mental disorders.
“This study is one of the most powerful demonstrations yet of brain training with real-time fMRI,” concluded Dr Nicholas Turk-Browne, a psychologist at Yale University and co-author of the study.
“In the future, this discovery could inform the development of brain-computer interfaces and clinical interventions.”
While this technology is still in its early stages, it represents a paradigm shift in our understanding of learning and brain plasticity. Further research is necessary to explore the long-term effects and optimize its application.
