TOPIC—BRAIN FINGERPRINTING

SANDEEP SINGH

CS,3rd YEAR

(0809710079)

What is Brain Fingerprinting?

Brain Fingerprinting is a scientific technique to determine whether or not specific information is stored in an individual's brain.

Quick Overview

• Invented By Dr Lawrence A. Farwell.• It’s a patented technique of proven

accuracy in US government tests.• Ruled Admissible in one US Court as

scientific evidence.• It has a record of 100% Accuracy.

How it works ? • On seeing a previously known

information, a specific measurable brain response known as a P300 or MERMER i.e. Memory and Encoding Related Multifaceted Electroencephalographic Response, is elicited by the brain of a subject.

What is P300/ MERMER?

• A MERMER is a part of the brainwave observed in response to familiar information.

• When the brain recognizes something, neurons are fired synchronously, eliciting characteristic changes in brain activity.

• It is these changes, that investigators look for when trying to determine whether someone recognizes a particular piece of information.

Continued…• When a person is exposed to a rare, but

meaningful information, there is increase in neuron activity which results in an increase in voltage, typically within 300–1000msec after the stimulus, and that response with increases voltage is known as P300.

• The utility of the P300 in detection of deception was recognized as early as 1988, However, the P300 has only a 87.5% success rate in revealing the presence of relevant information in one’s brain.

It incorporates the following procedure:

• A sequence of words, phrases, or pictures is presented on a video monitor to the subject, wearing a special headband designed for detecting the brain wave responses.

• Three types of stimuli are presented: 1.Target2. Irrelevant 3. Probe

Continued…

• Target : The target stimuli are made relevant and noteworthy to all subjects.

• Irrelevant : These have no relation to the situation under investigation.

• Probes : Probes are the stimuli that are relevant to the situation under investigation.

Continued…

• The targets provide a template for a response that will be generated when a subject recognizes a stimuli familiar to the situation under investigation.

• The irrelevant provide a template, for a response that will be generated when a subject don’t recognizes a stimuli familiar to the situation under investigation.

Information present

Continued…

• The determination of information absent in one’s brain consists of comparing the probe responses to the irrelevant responses, as both are not familiar to the subject and do not elicit a P300/MERMER.

Information absent

Results

• Results have shown this technique to be capable of producing an "information absent" or "information present" determination, with a strong statistical confidence, in approximately 90% of the cases studied. All of the determinations were accurate. In the other 10% of cases the mathematical algorithm determined that there was insufficient information to make determination

Comparisons with other technologies

• Fingerprints and DNA are available in only 1% of crimes. The brain and the evidence recorded in it are always there.

• No questions are asked and no answers are given during Farwell Brain Fingerprinting.

• Brain Fingerprinting technology depends only on brain information processing, it does not depend on the emotional response of the subject.

Other Applications

• There are several other areas in which Brain fingerprinting can be used to make life easier and can aid mankind in many ways. Key fields where brain fingerprinting can be used are:

Advertising

• What specific information do people retain from advertising?

• What specific elements in an ad campaign have the most impact?

• How effective is the product branding strategy?

Medical Applications

• With early diagnosis, the progression of Alzheimer's symptoms can often be delayed through medications and dietary and lifestyle changes.

• Using the very precise measurements of cognitive functioning available with this technology, pharmaceutical companies will be able to determine more quickly the effects of their new medications.

Advantages

• Identify criminals quickly and scientifically• Record of 100% accuracy• Identify terrorists and members of gangs,

criminal and intelligence organizations• Reduce expenditure of money and other

resources in law enforcement• Reduce evasion of justice.

Conclusion

• It would be inappropriate to generalize the results of the present research because of the small sample of subjects.

• But the 100% accuracy and high confidence level of the results, however, provide further support for results from previous research using brain MERMER testing.