By Housni Antar | Staff Writer

When have you ever seen your thoughts on a screen? When was the image of your mind ever printed on paper? When did what you wonder about or even daydream about, become a physical reality? As humans we have always tended to keep our thoughts to ourselves. You can imagine an image in your mind and not be able to fully describe it. That “was” a gift that we possessed. A screen today – or in the near future – may be able to reflect certain neural signals or intentions, thanks to a chip placed near your brain. While this doesn’t literally display your thoughts, it can interpret specific brain activity patterns to perform tasks. What does this chip do? How will it function? What is it made up of? These are questions one might ask. I have decided to limit this article’s purpose to the physical properties of an object, but the greater purpose is the functionality of our mind. Will this mind of ours, that has developed over centuries and millenniums, accept this new environment?

Before we state the role of the “Brain Chip”, the new niche for neurotechnological companies like Elon Musk’s Neuralink, we must view the area that such a chip will work on. Our brain’s network depends on chemical and electrical signals, and that is how, in the most generic way possible, we maintain our connection with our body (Brain anatomy and how the brain works 2021). The electrical signals that our brain maintains are organized in a certain way which allows the flow of a single signal possible, and more

efficiently capable of allowing us to transfer that flow into a computation. As the figure (fig.1) below shows, researchers have observed spiral-shaped patterns in brain activity, which may help organize how signals propagate across the cortex – not by allowing only one signal flow, but by guiding waves of activity in specific directions. This is the essence of what will be known later as the Brain-Computer Interface (BCI). (Scientists discover spiral-shaped signals that organise brain activity 2023)

Fig.1

Source: Scientists discover spiral-shaped signals that organise brain activity

BCI is the relationship between the chip that is going to be placed, or planted, near our brains, and the signal processing unit which will allow us to transmit commands directly from our brain (Shih et al., 2012). The “Chip” is a silicon microelectrode array(fig.2). There are numerous reasons why it was agreed that silicon is the best suited substance for implantation, but to make it as short as possible, it was the one with the relatively low damage compared to other materials at the time of development (Skousen JL;Merriam SM;Srivannavit O;Perlin G;Wise KD;Tresco PA). Silicon is also a semiconductor, which will be enough to attract the electrical signals through its microelectrodes. Concerning the location of the chip, it would be better to assume that the closer the chip is to the brain, the more accurate the “translation” of the signal would be (Shih et al., 2012). The closer the chip is to the brain, the more precisely it can detect higher-frequency brain waves – particularly gamma waves, which are associated with cognitive functions and are more difficult to capture from a distance. Gamma waves are always accompanied with a high frequency which allows for the most accurate translation(fig.3). (Technological Basics of EEG recording and operation of apparatus …)

Fig.2 Fig.3

Source: Reducing surface area while maintaining implant penetrating profile lowers the brain foreign body response to chronically implanted planar silicon microelectrode arrays, p.170

Source: Technological Basics of EEG recording and operation of apparatus, p. 21

There are multiple ways to read the signals of the brain, yet in this article we will only speak of 2. The first method is called the EEG which stands for electroencephalogram. EEG will rely on the chip being placed on the scalp, which will then record the electrical signals of the brain. The recorded signals are digitized and then analyzed using complex algorithms that interpret the patterns of electrical activity. For the sake of clarity, this “digitization” will be related to the frequency of the electrical signal. It will then be given to a translation algorithm which will allow the transmission of the user’s intention (Shih et al., 2012). For example, a low frequency would be interpreted as moving the cursor of the computer upwards. The second method is called ECoG (electrocorticography), since the microelectrode array (our chip in this case) is placed near the cortical surface. ECoG is more accurate due to its ability to capture gamma waves, while EEG can only capture distant waves. ECoG requires the implantation of a microelectrode array (surgery to reach the layer under the skull), while EEG only requires a sensor on the scalp. There are multiple ways to place an array some studies suggest that is better to be placed on the side of the brain, and others suggest the top of the brain. The most effective would be the ones that will be placed under the skull through surgery, like the ECoG.(Shih et al., 2012)(fig.4)

Fig.4

Source: Brain-computer interfaces in medicine

Let us recall human morality into the bigger picture. If I said that a company owned chip will have direct access to your mind, would that be appealing? If I rephrased it and said that it will allow you to handle certain situations (like writing, painting, etc.) rapidly, would this be more appealing? It is a subjective answer where a human either chooses efficiency or privacy. That is one aspect of it, the other is if an individual is willing to introduce a foreign object into his brain (like the ECoG) and sacrifice a couple of tissues in the process. What is the morally correct choice in this case?

The mind was given to us, regardless of our capability to distinguish it from the brain. Technological advancement will be able to reflect our thoughts, at least this is now a possibility. Does this mean that we humans will become predictable creatures that can be fully understood? Fully analyzed? Perhaps it is not about what we will be able to recognize, but about what we will hold within us in the end. It is not just a matter of privacy; it is a matter of a far larger scale. These thoughts were meant to distinguish us from other creatures, as they are unique to us. We are uncertain about our future. In the end, when were we certain about it?

References:

Brain anatomy and how the brain works. Johns Hopkins Medicine. (2021, July 14). https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/anatomy-of-the-brain

Scientists discover spiral-shaped signals that organise brain activity. The University of Sydney. (2023, June 16). https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2023/06/16/scientists-discover-spiral-shaped-signals-that-organise-brain-activity.html

Shih, J. J., Krusienski, D. J., & Wolpaw, J. R. (2012, March). Brain-computer interfaces in medicine. Mayo Clinic proceedings. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3497935/#:~:text=A%20BCI%20is%20a%20computer,of%20peripheral%20nerves%20and%20muscles.

Skousen JL;Merriam SM;Srivannavit O;Perlin G;Wise KD;Tresco PA; (n.d.). Reducing surface area while maintaining implant penetrating profile lowers the brain foreign body response to chronically implanted planar silicon microelectrode arrays. Progress in brain research. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21867802/

Technological Basics of EEG recording and operation of apparatus … (n.d.). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301345447_Technological_Basics_of_EEG_Recording_and_Operation_of_Apparatus