National Security Intelligence Organizations Should Monitor Advances In Cognitive Neuroscience Research, A new report from the National Research Council Options

[Enki]

National Security Intelligence Organizations Should Monitor Advances
In Cognitive Neuroscience Research

http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews...?RecordID=12177

Full report: http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12177

WASHINGTON -- Technological advancements in specific fields of neuroscience have implications for U.S. national security and should therefore be monitored consistently by the intelligence community, according to a new report from the National Research Council. In order to do so effectively, intelligence organizations need analysts with advanced scientific training and resources for the collection and analysis of neuroscience research and its technological applications, said the committee that wrote the report.


The intelligence community has had a long-standing interest in monitoring global technology trends that could affect U.S. national security. However, in fields where technology is advancing rapidly, the pace and breadth of research can overwhelm analysts. In addition, few intelligence analysts have scientific skills specialized enough to allow them to recognize significant advances in highly complex and emergent fields.

A 2005 National Research Council report described a methodology for gauging the implications of new technologies and assessing whether they pose a threat to national security. In this new report, the committee applied the methodology to the neuroscience field and identified several research areas that could be of interest to the intelligence community: neurophysiological advances in detecting and measuring indicators of psychological states and intentions of individuals, the development of drugs or technologies that can alter human physical or cognitive abilities, advances in real-time brain imaging, and breakthroughs in high-performance computing and neuronal modeling that could allow researchers to develop systems which mimic functions of the human brain, particularly the ability to organize disparate forms of data.


Research in these areas is progressing rapidly both nationally and internationally within the private, government, and academic sectors. Technologies such as brain imaging and cognitive or physical enhancers are important to the health industry and desired by the public; such forces act as strong market incentives for development. As these fields continue to grow, said the committee, it will be imperative that the intelligence community be able to identify scientific advances relevant to national security when they occur. To do so will require adequate funding, intelligence analysts with advanced training in science and technology, and increased collaboration with the scientific community, particularly academia.



The study was sponsored by the Defense Intelligence Agency. The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council are private, nonprofit institutions that provide science, technology, and health policy advice under a congressional charter. The National Research Council is the principal operating agency of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. A committee roster follows.

[Enki]

Military wants to study mind-reading

August 15, 2008 -- Updated 0248 GMT (1048 HKT)
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/08/15/mind....tml?eref=rss_us

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Here's a mind-bending idea: The U.S. military is paying scientists to study ways to read people's thoughts.

The hope is that the research could someday lead to a gadget capable of translating the thoughts of soldiers who suffered brain injuries in combat or even stroke patients in hospitals. But the research also raises concerns that such mind-reading technology could be used to interrogate the enemy.

Armed with a $4 million grant from the Army, scientists are studying brain signals to try to decipher what a person is thinking and to whom the person wants to direct the message.

The project is a collaboration among researchers at the University of California, Irvine; Carnegie Mellon University; and the University of Maryland.

The scientists use brain wave-reading technology known as electroencephalography, or EEG, which measures the brain's electrical activity through electrodes placed on the scalp.

It works like this: Volunteers wear an electrode cap and are asked to think of a word chosen by the researchers, who then analyze the brain activity.

In the future, scientists hope to develop thought-recognition software that would allow a computer to speak or type out a person's thought.

"To have a person think in a free manner and then figure out what that is, we're years away from that," said lead researcher Michael D'Zmura, who heads UC Irvine's cognitive sciences department.

D'Zmura said such a system would require extensive training by people trying to send a message and dismisses the notion that thoughts can be forced out.

"This will never be used in a way without somebody's real, active cooperation," he said.

John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org, a Virginia-based defense research firm, said the technology is still too nascent to be of practical use for the military.

"They're still in the proof of principle stage," Pike said.

[Rick]

EEG technology has been around since the development of sensitive amplifiers, and with computer pattern recognition, represents the state of the art in technological "mind reading." It's crude at best.

[junxu123]

thank you ~

[DRZion]

This is very interesting, and an important development in point psychology and mind-reading. I have heard about something like this, but instead it focused on reading people's faces. I suppose this would be more intrusive, but not nearly as bad as most interrogation techniques, although it could be put to very wicked ends indeed.
For instance, you could use this to find a captive's mental weaknesses by looking at brain patterns while swamping him with sensory cues, later to use this info during interrogation.

Or you could strap a soldier with one of these on his head and learn what stimuli makes him respond in what way. You can then later tie these cues into some sort of image/audio feedback in his helmet to boost combat capabilities for short periods of time. When a platoon is being ambushed, you play an audio clip the individual soldier responds to in a familiar way in order to boost emotional fortitude.


You don't necessarily have to read individual thoughts, only the emotions in order for this to be useful.

[BrainStim]

Here's the summary
Summary for the report (PDF file)

Cognitive neuroscience and its related technologies are advancing rapidly, but the IC has
only a small number of intelligence analysts with the scientific competence needed to fully grasp
the significance of the advances. Not only is the pace of progress swift and interest in research
high around the world, but the advances are also spreading to new areas of research, including
computational biology and distributed human–machine systems with potential for military and
intelligence applications. Cognitive neuroscience and neurotechnology comprise a multifaceted
discipline that is flourishing on many fronts. Important research is taking place in detection of
deception, neuropsychopharmacology, functional neuroimaging, computational biology, and
distributed human-machine systems, among other areas.

The report about neurowarfare appears to be online for free. It doesn't seem to load properly all the time, so it may not work for you. It appears that it only lets you read parts of it. I only seem to be able to get it to work if I press the >> button. So it may only let you read the first page of every chapter.
At this link


Also there is this interesting paranoid article by someone about what are military is up to. I only mention it because it has lots of good links to the various projects that DARPA is undertaking.
Neuroscience, National Security & the "War on Terror"

Here is an older neurowarfare report.
"Brave New World: Neurowarfare and the Limits of International Humanitarian Law". (PDF file)

[Enki]

The Full Report covers 154 pages http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12177 it still costs $43.00.

Thank you for updating and for links.

[Enki]

I have always doubted whether the human brain generates enough energy to transfer thought or to affect other objects. What do you think?

One gentleman once said that it is possible to move mountains, mankind still ponders over his words.
I personally think that the true power of human brain is still uncovered.