Is remote interbrain communication possible?

Two people communicating extrasensorially? Science has begun to prove it.

Can it be possible for two individuals to communicate at a distance? This is a question that seems like it can only be answered in the affirmative in science fiction movies. But neuroscience is studying this possibility, which has more and more scientific backing.

The brain as an energy generator

The brain generates electrical energy as a result of millions of operations and functions carried out by a system of electro-chemical circuits through which information is transmitted. Therefore, it is easy to think of the possibility of analyzing or influencing it through electronic devices. Nowadays, thanks to research and advances in new technologies, we know more about our brain, how it works and how to influence it.

Electroencephalography (EEG) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) are some of the various non-invasive or low-invasive methods that allow us to record or affect brain activity. Broadly speaking, EEG allows us to record and measure the brain's electrical activity, while TMS allows us to have an impact on the brain's activity. through TMS we can transiently affect and modify certain neuronal activity by exciting or inhibiting certain brain regions..

Manipulation of brain activity

What does recent research show about advances in the interpretation and manipulation of brain activity?

Today, it has been demonstrated that through an EEG it is possible to decipher simple thoughtsFor example, it is possible to know if a person is imagining moving a part of his or her body. This is because, when we imagine a voluntary movement (without carrying it out) certain neural circuits are activated in our motor cortex, responsible for controlling, planning and executing our movements. Thus, through EEG we can receive certain information about what the person is imagining or thinking and, in a way, as mentioned by Alejandro Riera (Physicist, PhD in neurosciences and researcher in Starlab) at the last SCNP spring meeting, "we are starting to crack the neural code".

With this concept in mind, what if we could send or "inject" this information into another brain? Could we achieve remote interbrain communication?

Communicating two brains with each other

Although all this may sound more like a science fiction movie to us, on March 28, 2014. the first experiment in history was conducted in which two people shared a conscious thought in a direct brain-to-brain manner. in a direct brain-to-brain manner. Neuroscientist Carles Grau, professor emeritus of the UB and scientific advisor of the company Starlaband physicist and mathematician Giulio Ruffiniof the company Starlab y Neuroelectrics of Barcelona, communicated over long distances with their brains. This communication took place at a distance of 7,800 km, since the sender was in India and the receiver was in France. In this case, the word transmitted was "hello".

Through the sender's helmet with electrodes and its EEG recording, it was possible to encode this thought of the word "hello" and transform it into binary code (made up of ones and zeros) through a Brain Computer Interface (BCI). This transformation to a computational alphabet was achieved by setting up a system whereby, when the transmitter thought of moving the hand, the interface registered a "1", and when he thought of moving the foot, it registered a "0", until the whole word was encoded. In total 140 bits were transmitted with an error range of only 1-4%. Using the Computer Brain Interface (CBI) and through the EMT, the receiver, who had his eyes covered with a blindfold, received a list of bits interpreting a "1" when he saw phosphenes (sensation of seeing lights) and a "0" when he did not receive phosphenes, and so on until the whole message was decoded. To achieve this communication they had to previously and during months of training and knowledge of the binary code (Grau et al., 2014).

The present study affirms that it is possible to unite two human minds through the integration of these two neurotechnologies (BCI and CBI) in a non-invasive way.consciously and cortically based (Grau et al., 2014). Likewise, through this research an inter-subject communication has been demonstrated through the use of the computational alphabet, a fact that brings us closer to a vision of the human being as a cybernetic organism, or cyborg in a technological society.

Future lines of research

For now, we may be able to transmit certain thoughts, but what are we aiming to achieve in the future?

Subsequent to this pioneering research, such as that of Grau and Ruffini (2014), future lines of research have been opened, such as those aiming at the direct and non-invasive communication of emotions and feelings.. It is even expected that computers will be able to interact directly with the human brain.

It is also intended to improve in the clinical setting, treating diseases in which the subject is unable to modulate their thoughts, as may occur in depression, pain, psychotic or obsessive-compulsive thoughts. Finally, research is also being done to achieve bidirectional communication in which the same subject can emit and receive the message, i.e., to integrate EEG and TMS in each subject.

Doubts and possibilities of interbrain communication

What would be the technological impact on society? There are several ethical considerations to be made regarding the possibility of interbrain communication.

Some of the ethical and moral questions that may arise when thinking about the future development of innovative techniques that allow a more exhaustive manipulation of brain activity are already being debated and studied.

What would be the positive and negative consequences if it were possible to decode the neuronal code, would it be a benefit or would it harm us, who would really benefit and who would be harmed, what would become of "freedom of thought", to what extent would our personality remain "ours", where should the limits of transhumanism be established, would it be within everyone's reach, etc.?

It is clear that the world is advancing by leaps and bounds, we are evolving and entering a field full of possibilities that can benefit our species and improve the quality of life, however, we must not forget the importance and necessity of the transhumanism. we must not forget the importance and necessity of acting with humility, equality, justice and responsibility so that transhumanism, as Francis Fukuyama would say, does not end up being "the most dangerous idea in the world".

Bibliographical references:

• Grau, C., Ginhoux, R., Riera, A., Nguyen, TL., Chauvat, H., Berg, M., ... & Ruffini, G. (2014) Conscious Brain-to-Brain Communication in Humans Using Non-Invasive Technologies. PLoS ONE 9(8): e105225. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0105225