The power of thought - The EEG has been decoding our brain for 100 years
A Jena psychologist recorded the electrical activity of the human brain for the first time a hundred years ago and laid the foundation for today's brain implants. Hans Berger, the inventor, achieved an Electroencephalography (EEG) on July 6, 1924. This procedure not only revolutionized our understanding of the brain but also enabled numerous clinical applications, such as in the diagnosis of Epilepsy and ADHD. The development is currently advancing rapidly due to Artificial Intelligence (AI). Can we read thoughts soon?
Electrodes, Cables, Many Waves: How it Works
For a layman, an EEG setup looks somewhat strange: Many small metallic electrodes - called electrodes - are attached to a head, and they are connected to a computer with cables. They are intended to record the electrical activity of the brain. On a monitor, waves appear in specific patterns, known as the Electroencephalogram - also called EEG.
These patterns can be influenced in several ways, such as by closing the eyes. In addition, experts can diagnose diseases like Epilepsy based on the flow of the lines. "One needs a lot of expertise to distinguish evil from things that only look evil but are not," explains the head of the Epilepsy Center at the University Clinic Munich, Jan Rémi.
To diagnose Epilepsy, for example, an EEG can be applied after a seizure. If the patterns show a specific schema, the patient has Epilepsy. If medication is not prescribed, an EEG can also determine the brain regions from which Epilepsy originates - and these can be removed if necessary.
Can we read thoughts soon?
The human eye will always be essential for the final diagnosis, Rémi believes. However, with AI, characteristic lines could be filtered out in the future, which would then need to be verified. EEG signals, with their hundreds and thousands of waves, offer numerous analysis opportunities that could be better evaluated in the future using AI. "We are still far from thought reading. But I believe that in the next few years, one will be able to tell if someone is lying or not."
For EEG researcher Gyula Kovács of the University of Jena, the entry of AI is "the most important development of the last few years for analyzing EEG data." With this, certain parts of consciousness can be made visible. "That was previously absolutely impossible." For example, it is possible to follow whether someone has seen a series or not, or whether someone recognizes a person. However, one must also raise the ethical question of how far this technology should be used.
Researchers want to make brainpower usable
The technology of the brain implant company Neuralink of US billionaire Elon Musk also builds on the logic of Electroencephalography: Here, 1024 electrodes are intended to capture signals from the brain so that people can control a computer cursor just through their thought. In January, the first patient received such a brain implant. Neuralink recently reported problems - some electrodes had re-detached.
In the past, there have been US studies where people could move a prosthetic hand using their thoughts, as neuroscientist Stefan Schweinberger from the University of Jena states. However, these individual studies were very laborious and invasive. "This is certainly not a procedure that is widely available now or in the foreseeable future."
Berger: Inventor, Skeptic, and Controversial Figure
When the psychiatrist Hans Berger recorded the electrical activity of a human brain for the first time on July 6, 1924 (a Sunday) in his lab in Jena, it was still futuristic music. Almost 50 years earlier, such recordings had been successful in animals. However, the meticulous and critical Berger hesitated for a long time about his initial findings and only went public in 1929. A year earlier, he had written in his diary: "I have worked on the supposed EEG for several years. What's the point? Give up on EEG!"
In the 1930s, Berger's discoveries gained recognition and prominent supporters such as the British neurophysiologist and Nobel laureate Edgar Douglas Adrian. Berger focused on various applications of his discovery, such as EEG changes during sleep, brain tumors, and epilepsy.
During the Nazi era, Berger was an SS sponsor and participated in forced sterilizations. The clinic for neurology in Jena, named after him, changed its name to Hans-Berger-Clinic in 2022.
EEG in the Treatment of ADHD and Other Diagnoses
EEG remains a gold standard in some clinical areas: In addition to diagnosis, EEG is also used, for example, to determine the depth of anesthesia, explains the doctor Rémi. "This helps us save anesthesia medications." The severity of brain damage can also be assessed, up to the determination of brain death. In a sleep lab, EEG is used to distinguish sleep phases from each other.
Beyond this, Berger's discovery offers a wide research field that is also being driven forward at its old place of effect in Jena. Researchers there want to use EEG to find out if autistic people can suppress certain brain activities through neurofeedback.
Patients can see their brain activity on a monitor and train themselves to change it voluntarily. Specifically, it's about a particular brain activity that is usually downregulated in certain situations but not in autistic people. In the treatment of ADHD patients, this technique has already been used for a longer time, and there are first attempts with stroke, tinnitus, and long-Covid patients.
- The first recorded electrical activity of the human brain was done by a psychologist from the University of Jena a century ago, initiating the era of brain implants.
- This pioneering achievement by Hans Berger in 1924 laid the foundation for Electroencephalography (EEG), which revolutionized brain science and enabled clinical applications like diagnosing Epilepsy and ADHD.
- In the future, Artificial Intelligence (AI) might enable the filtering of specific lines from EEG signals, aiding in the diagnosis of diseases like Epilepsy and potentially identifying if someone is lying.
- EEG researcher Gyula Kovács at the University of Jena believes that AI is the most significant development for analyzing EEG data, as it makes certain parts of consciousness visible.
- Elon Musk's brain implant company Neuralink uses the concept of Electroencephalography, aiming to allow people to control a computer cursor with their thoughts using 1024 electrodes.
- The University of Munich's Epilepsy Center head, Jan Rémi, believes that while AI may improve EEG analysis, the human eye will always be crucial for final diagnosis.
- In 2022, the clinic for neurology in Jena, which was previously named after Hans Berger, changed its name following controversy over his involvement in forced sterilizations during the Nazi era.
- EEG is a standard tool in diagnosing and treating various conditions, such as determining the depth of anesthesia, assessing brain damage, and distinguishing sleep phases.
- Research at its original site in Jena is focusing on using EEG to analyze brain activity in autistic people, with a goal of helping them suppress certain brain activities through neurofeedback, a technique already being used for ADHD treatment.
