The challenges of neural mind-reading paradigms

Neural mind-reading studies, based on multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) methods, are providing exciting new studies. Some of the results obtained with these paradigms have raised high expectations, such as the possibility of creating brain reading devices. However, such hopes are based on the ass...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor: Vilarroya Oliver, Óscar|||0000-0001-8285-5624
Formato: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2013
País:España
Recursos:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:184934
Acesso em linha:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/184934
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.3389/fnhum.2013.00306
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:Multivariate pattern analysis
Neural encoding
Neural decoding
Neural representation
Mind reading
Descrição
Resumo:Neural mind-reading studies, based on multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) methods, are providing exciting new studies. Some of the results obtained with these paradigms have raised high expectations, such as the possibility of creating brain reading devices. However, such hopes are based on the assumptions that: (a) the BOLD signal is a marker of neural activity; (b) the BOLD pattern identified by a MVPA is a neurally sound pattern; (c) the MVPA's feature space is a good mapping of the neural representation of a stimulus, and (d) the pattern identified by a MVPA corresponds to a representation. I examine here the challenges that still have to be met before fully accepting such assumptions.