U of I professor finds ways to replicate brain patterns
Stephanie Lyons
Issue date: 8/30/07 Section: News
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Todd Coleman, University of Illinois professor, sought out ways to replicate brain patterns in order to create novelty ideas.

Coleman has two interests that relate to the brain. First, he wants to understand how the brain represents information in neural spiking.

"One of the things we do is take a look at experiments where we have some sort of control input stimulus. Then, I observe how brain activity encodes that stimulus in the neural spiking," Coleman said.

Coleman's other interest is in developing brain machine interfaces, which help the paralyzed.

"I am trying to develop all sorts of thought controlled applications where it can potentially help someone trying to use a prosthetic limb or some type of video game," Coleman said.

Coleman explained when a person raises their arm or leg the part of the brain called the motor cortex fires neurons around in different patterns.

"The whole idea is that if someone was to lose their arm to amputation, their primary motor cortex is still intact. If we can extract signals from that region of the brain or elsewhere, we might be able to decode those signals and use them on an artificial limb," Coleman said.

Paul Garris, professor of neuroscience at ISU, thinks that using thoughts to control devices could be beneficial for the disabled.

"Sometimes there is a disconnect between brain signals and behavior, due to a spinal cord injury, where brain signals cannot get out to the muscles. By using some sort of technology, you can go around that disconnect," Garris said.

"This could be a real boom for people, depending on what the disability is," Garris added.

Even though Coleman is still in his initial stages of research, he has found one result that looks promising. He has found a way to help people with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, ALS, artificially produce speech. The idea is not completely thought based because it works along with a person's throat muscles.

"If we record signals and form that to what the person was trying to say, along with models of the English language, we can either artificially reproduce speech or spell it out on a display for them," Coleman said.

Coleman said he will eventually be interested in using thoughts to control video games. He said that it is not a novel idea because some companies claim to use them.

"Just like you have your video controller, you press up, down, left and right. You can use your joystick to extract those sorts of commands off the brain and develop a nice consistent way of decoding them," Coleman said.

Garris has mixed feelings on using thoughts to control devices.

"If it is done for the right purpose, such as medical, I am all in favor of it. If it is done for entertainment I am less favorable of it. There are some aspects of risk because you have to monitor brain activity," Garris said.

Coleman has different ideas about using thoughts to control devices, but for the time being he is working on simpler problems.

He is trying to understand how the brain represents information, and after understanding that he will try to develop thought controlled devices.

Coleman is starting his second year at the University of Illinois. He received his PHD at MIT, and his bachelor degree from the University of Michigan.

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