On re-reading you question -- you originally ask about reading
someone's "thoughts". The subject of this thread uses the
word "mind".
But now you ask a much simpler question -- can you tell what
someone is listening to by recording the activity in the auditory
nerve. Of course you would have to know which cell in the
auditory nerve is which (at least, what part of the basilar
membrane is involved -- whether inner or outer hair cell, etc).
But if you had the technology to record from them all without
harm to the subject, then I guess you could get all the anatomical
connection information, too!
Probably, yes, you could tell what the person was listening too.
The reverse is the basis of sensory prostheses -- if you record
what a deaf person is supposed to hear, you can generate neural
activity that will allow the person to extract at least some information
about the auditory stimulus. In the next 10 to 20 years, we might
get real good about such things.
Similarly, if you record the information in the spinal nerves,
you could figure out what the person was doing -- what kind of
motions (s)he was making. Again, there are prostheses that
manipulate limbs based on motor nerve signals and, in the next
10 to 20 years, we might get real good about it.
But if you want to know what someone is "thinking" -- that is
rather a different story.
"John Leonard" <remove_for_spam_johnrleonard at excite.com> wrote in message
news:7PmJ6.129$ow2.71818 at news.intnet.net...
> But the brain is just a collection of neurons that transmit signals
> electrically. With sufficient observation, shouldn't it be possible to
> understand what is being transmitted? For instance, if one were to compare
> the incoming aural signal from the eardrum to the brain with the efferent
> signal(s) emerging from the body of neurons that process and deliver this
> signal wouldn't it be possible to understand the encoding method used by
the
> brain? In other words, why would it be so difficult to intercept the
signal
> emerging from this aural complex, decode it and reconstruct the aural
signal
> that originally entered the ear?
>> John Leonard
>>> "Richard Norman" <rsnorman at mediaone.net> wrote in message
> news:UIcJ6.40146$qD1.735995 at typhoon.mw.mediaone.net...> > If "reading someone's mind" means I am in the process of
> > (or planning on) making this muscle move by this much,
> > then yes. Essentially you read the motor signals and
> > create artificial "muscles" execute the command. So I can
> > shrug my shoulder or wink my eye to control external
> > equipment (it actually is more subtle than that.)
> >
> > But if you want to know just why I feel like winking my eye
> > or whether I am happy or angry about the fact that I have
> > to shrug my shoulder -- that is rather a different story. And
> > all the while, I am daydreaming about what is going to happen
> > to me and whether I really remembered to turn off the coffee
> > maker and it suddenly occurred to me that I forgot to pay the
> > electric bill and I really am worried about how my career is
> > going, not to mention how my teenage kids are developing
> > --- no, probably never.
> >
> > ""Ron Blue"" <rcb5 at msn.com> wrote in message
> > news:002601c0d5e4$ea10c040$2e1d183f at pavilion...> > > The Air Force has a procedure that allows pilots to control their
> aircraft
> > > by thoughts and it is 98% accurate. This is close to what you are
> asking.
> > >
> > > Ron
> > > http://turn.to/ai> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "John Leonard" <remove_for_spam_johnrleonard at excite.com>
> > > To: <neur-sci at hgmp.mrc.ac.uk>
> > > Sent: Saturday, May 05, 2001 7:51 PM
> > > Subject: Is it possible to read someone's mind?
> > >
> > >
> > > > Given the current state of the science, is it possible to attach
> > > electrodes
> > > > to someones brain and read their thoughts? If it is not, then, what
is
> > > your
> > > > projection for the time at which it will be possible?
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > > ---
> >
> >
>>