The areas of the brain responsible for seeing colors is likely to be
preorganized. While I have generated "new" colors of blue and red for
"color blind" students I assume that their experience was similar to ours.
We know that birds see colors that we do not, but we do not know what the
subjective experience would be nor do we know that subjective experience
between different people would be the same.
I had posted an interested article on using the tongue to generate signals
that the brain could interpret as vision several months back. The army is
very interested in using such technology to give night vision to its
solders. In principle the same procedure could be used to see any part of
the electromagnetic spectrum. It is not likely such an experience would be
viewed as a color. Color is likely to be a special opponent process
relationship.
If the correlational opponent processing model is correct then color is only
an informational overwrite on a standing reference frequency of about 100
hertz. In an correlational opponent process then it becomes possible to
generate a "new color" if the projection area or "subjective oscillon" is
currently not being used for other purposes. Over time such an area may be
experienced as a new color with correlational interactions with traditional
colors. In principle such procedures could work.
One way of experimenting with such a model would be to blind animals at
birth and connect sensors to the brain that only respond to stimulation in
unusual electromagnetic areas. Such animals may see "new" colors. Such
colors should have opponent reactions which would suggest success in the
research, but would not answer the question of what was the subjective
experience.
Another way of experimenting with such a model would be to use humans and
artificial stimulate the standing reference frequency with an informational
overwrite only associated with ultraviolet light. With time a person might
be able to report what the subjective experience was like. But logic
suggest it would be like a person who can see red explaining this to a color
blind person.
Ron Blue
http://turn.to/ai
----- Original Message -----
From: "Urs Enke" <urs.enke at web.de>
To: <neur-sci at hgmp.mrc.ac.uk>
Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2001 4:08 PM
Subject: "New" colours possible?
> For some years now I've wondered
> -- whether the (red-green-blue-mixable) colours we know are all there are
in
> this universe, and if not,
> -- whether it might be possible to neurologically change the visual cortex
> (or whatever necessary) to create the sensation of other colours, and
> -- whether there has been any research suggesting that other animals are
> actually seeing different colours than we do.
>> I am neither talking of broadening the EM-spectrum we can see by changing
> the eyes' perception (as this would supposedly simply distribute our known
> "rainbow colors" over that new spectrum), nor of mixing pseudo-new colours
> from the base colours that we already know. Also, I wouldn't consider any
> eye-related limitations essential, as I really mean directly tapping into
> one's brain.
>> I'd be glad to get any feedback, be it on physical possibility,
neurological
> practicability or philosophical thoughts. Thanks in advance for
brightening
> or dimming my hopes to see "Color X" before I die... ;-)
>> Urs
>> PS: Maybe someone even has information on people reporting previously
> unknown ("unmixable") colours after having been under the influence of
> drugs...?
>>>
---
