I can see your point Jen. And then again, if it brings people round from comas...........

I think it sounds interesting Jenstar...... although I do see your point about the drawbacks

It is a real thought provoker no?

So many good uses yet somewhere along the line it could be common practice so much so that it  ends up being used by criminals or unsavory types.

Sounds like the biggest pile of hokum to me Jen.  

Scientific understanding of how the brain works is still so minimal that its impossible to believe they could extrapolate to this degree. Surely if your brain is so damaged, whatever thoughts the 'machine' might attempt to interpret would be trapped in that self-same chaos?

But imagine if they got hold of Blizz's brain!  

I   saw the news article it's not so much for Badly brain damaged people but for those in "locked in"  cases as in the body maybe paralysed etc bad strokes,but their minds may be functioning just their motor senses movement speech etc not working.It must be hellish to not be able to communicate.

Well the video is quite good, it does sound pretty much like what the original thought was!

Blizzies brain would be a load of intellectual jargon that not alot of us would understand (even though she leads us to think other wise ) our Blizz is a clever bird innit!

If i'm  honest thats one of my biggest fears in life... to be kept alive yet not able to decide your fate must be tormenting to the soul (scares me about m mum and turning her life support off)

I really can see the benefits of this tech... but the cynical side of me also thinks it's going to lead to misuse

But my argument still stands then katty. Loss of motor function is, for these people, caused by severe brain damage. Therefore, looking for a pattern could be interpreted as the scientists choosing to find one.

For example, with stroke victims, who are often able to articulate, what they say can often sound illogical to a situation or condition that we might observe differently.

But Xochi, this could change our perception of 'brain dead' couldn't it? where people are deemed lost in every sense but life support, this tech could prove the docs have it wrong... not saying thats a good thing over all if there no chance for any kind of recovery but still i do think it could change the way people who can no longer choose their own way in life....

Just thinking about it will bring euthanasia into a whole new light too..

I heard them talking about this on Radio 2 last week, and my initial thoughts were, wow how fabulous.  But then I started thinking, what if a family was sitting waiting to hear the thoughts of their loved one who is in one of these 'locked in' states, and what came out was the enduring pain that nobody realised they had OR the absolute misery they felt and that they would rather be dead. (I am not saying that everyone in this situation feels or thinks like that).  I know if I ever got to that state, I would hope someone that loved me would just let me go.  And I would hate it if my family were gathered around waiting to hear my 'brain thoughts' and they heard me thinking that.

Or what about babies, imagine if we could learn what babies want through this somehow? Would it stifle natural  development?

But the whole programme relies on recognition of speech, and babies don't have that when they are very young.  When they are older babies they communicate anyway.

I had my son at 28 weeks pregnant, I could see sometimes the pain on his face, I definitely ddin't want to hear the screeches his brain was making too.

Sorry, I know some people will think it's the most wonderful breakthrough ever, but for me it's just not a good thing.

I totally understand where you're coming from Cinds, i had my eldest daughter at 30wks and some of the tests (the eye thing!) they did i would hate to hear her thoughts etc. (Tbh i would never have let them do it knowing now what i know now ie that it was to no benefit for her and more for their stats!)

My thoughts were of older babies, if they  could interpret their 'speech' as it were

but as i said it had many good and just as many bad qualities.

The whole thing is simply debatable

Not to think about...... Worse than a Nuclear winter.

I've had 2 friends who went into coma, one survived, one didn't. The one who did survive said he was aware of what family and friends were saying when they visited him. If such a machine could pick up on the thoughts of a coma patient and relay the speech to loved ones I'm sure it would encourage them....that's if this really works.

Another viewpoint is if it works there are Govt's who'd get hold of it and would use it for their advantage, but would they use it for positive or negative reasons

I reckon any advancement to prolong human life will be shot down by all the folk in Government etc; We can see this here in this country by denying certain cancer drugs coz they are too expensive?????? How much is a life worth to a country----- nothing according to some states. 

I know I know I know Jen.  Don't get me started on the eye thing, his were non-conclusive and he had to endure them every month until he was 18 months. 

To be honest I am a pro-euthanasia, and I just think this is going to screw with peoples minds.  You know even with donating organs, unless they harvest them immediately they have to keep that person on some life support until they get the families permission.  You could get families thinking that they might get something even if they are told there are no brain waves.

I have a degree in psychology, so you would think I would love to know more about the dealings of the non-verbal mind.  But do you know what, I don't.  Really if my husband, father, mother or son  was lying in a 'locked in' state I would ask for them to let them die.  I thought about this when Master Cinds was born so early and he had a brain hemorrhage, and it was a horrible thing to think about, but I did because I had to.  And I know if they had said to me, yes he could survive but severely disabled or we can stop treatment, I know which I would have picked.  That would have been for him and not me.

The eye thing... i think thats actually cruelty (im on about the the clamp thing)

Yellow rose you have said my view on both sides there, as i said good and very bad points to it

And as others have said would the good actually come to much in this country if they cant even pay for life saving drugs as it is?

Yes I know. Horrid horrid horrid.

I think it is amazing  ..my son was in a coma for six weeks after an accident and had brain damage took him the biggest part of  year to be able to walk ..talk properly again etc .. he is absolutely fine now ..being in that situation I would have let them try anything to help him ..I see it as a good thing..

Marg seeing a child like that must be really hard, glad he's ok even if it took a long time.

Jen it was 25 years ago  he was one of the lucky ones who pulled through ..thank you

**sends Jen brainwaves***

You calling me a mental machine?

Ahaahaahaa NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Though now you come to mention it

(I am only jesting )

I know you were