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Born a coward? Scientists have found a way to zap the BRAIN to boost your courage and eliminate fear
- Scientists have developed a way to monitor brain activity in real time
- They say it was used to eliminate fear and build a person’s confidence
- It is believed to have the potential to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), phobias and anxiety
Scientists have developed a method that changes the way a person’s brain works to build confidence and eliminate fears.
It is believed that the technique may have the potential to treat psychological conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), phobias, and anxiety.
Dubbed “decoded neurofeedback,” the technology is still in its infancy and while Japanese researchers have found that it works, it is not effective for everyone.
So the team released their findings in the hope that other experts could help improve the procedure.
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Scientists have developed a method that changes the way a person’s brain works and that can be used to build confidence and eliminate fears. In the photo, the brain scan of an anonymous person
A combination of artificial intelligence and MRI imaging was used by experts at the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR) in Seika, Japan.
They found that an fMRI scanner can provide real-time brain activity that can be compared to previous recordings.
For example, the brain of a person with arachnophobia will respond in a particular way when confronted with an image of a tarantula and this is recorded by a computer.
But the natural variation in brain activity means that a response that looks the same will also occur at random times.
Dubbed “decoded neurofeedback,” the technology is still in its infancy and while Japanese researchers have found that it works, it is not effective for everyone. So the team released their findings in the hope that other experts can help improve the procedure.
At the points where this matches the response invoked by fear, the researchers gave the participants a monetary reward.
Eventually, this positive reinforcement will rewire the brain so that when the person is triggered again with a spider, they don’t react the same way.
“The simple act of repeatedly providing a reward each time the pattern is detected changes the original memory or mental state,” says Dr. Mitsuo Kawato of ATR.
“It’s important to note that participants don’t need to be aware of the content of the models for this to work.
The data were obtained from over 60 people who participated in five separate studies and all the data was brought together in one database.
“The decoded approach to neurofeedback could have major benefits for clinical populations over traditional treatments,” said lead author Dr Aurelio Cortese.
“Patients could avoid the stress associated with exposure therapies, or the side effects resulting from established medications.
“As such, it is crucial that we accelerate the development of the decoded Neurofeedback technique – and this will only be possible if more scientists are able to work on the real data.
Full results are available in scientific data.
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