Researchers have developed a groundbreaking neuroimaging technique that allows for direct manipulation of brain activity patterns without invasive procedures. By using real-time fMRI and neurofeedback, the team successfully demonstrated the ability to “sculpt” neural representations, guiding participants to learn new visual object categories through mental processes without explicit instruction.
Participants viewed abstract shapes on a mirror inside an fMRI machine and were monetarily incentivized to mentally adjust their brain activity to match a predetermined pattern, resulting in the unconscious formation of new neural representations. This innovative approach could potentially revolutionize our understanding of learning mechanisms and offer promising avenues for treating neuropsychiatric and developmental disorders by modifying brain activity patterns.
The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, suggests that this method might one day enable the development of advanced brain-computer interfaces and provide novel clinical interventions for conditions like depression, visual agnosias, and autism.