Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Liege in Belgium have tracked the electrical activity in the brains of people either watching a video or imagining watching a video (Dentico et al., 2014). The findings could lead to new ways of understanding what happens in our brains when we sleep and dream. The scientists also hope the results will reveal insights into how short-term memory works.
Professor Barry Van Veen, who led the study, said:
"A really important problem in brain research is understanding how different parts of the brain are functionally connected. What areas are interacting? What is the direction of communication?The study used electroencephalography (EEG) to measure the electrical activity in different regions of the brain while people were watching the video or imagining it.
We know that the brain does not function as a set of independent areas, but as a network of specialized areas that collaborate."
When people watched the video, the electrical activity moved from the occipital lobe at the back of the brain, where visual information is processed forwards into the parietal lobe, where higher order processing takes place.
The reverse was seen when people were asked to generate visual imagery.
Professor Barry Van Veen said:
"There seems to be a lot in our brains and animal brains that is directional, that neural signals move in a particular direction, then stop, and start somewhere else.
I think this is really a new theme that had not been explored."
Nice comment, but dig the wacky yet cool headgear! First impression: is it religious or a portable Faraday cage for the head? If the latter, did it affect the research or flow of the brainwaves?