TED2016
Moran Cerf: This scientist can hack your dreams
Filmed:
Readability: 3.5
671,209 views
What if we could peek inside our brains and see our dreams -- or even shape them? Studying memory-specific brain cells, neuroscientist (and ex-hacker) Moran Cerf found that our sleeping brains retain some of the content we encounter when we're awake and that our dreams can influence our waking actions. Where could this lead us? "Neuroscientists are now giving us a new tool to control our dreams," Cerf says, "a new canvas that flickers to life when we fall asleep."
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
So we spend a 12th of our life dreaming,
0
764
5800
00:18
and most of it is forgotten.
1
6588
1792
00:21
What if we could peek inside our brain
and see our dreams,
and see our dreams,
2
9151
3036
00:24
maybe even shape them?
3
12211
1853
00:26
I am a neuroscientist, and I study
how thinking works inside the brain.
how thinking works inside the brain.
4
14684
4865
00:32
But this story starts five years ago,
5
20059
2442
00:34
when my work was about to be
published broadly,
published broadly,
6
22525
4654
00:39
and one slip of a tongue
made me take a big turn.
made me take a big turn.
7
27203
3896
00:43
It was October 28th, and I woke up
because my phone was buzzing.
because my phone was buzzing.
8
31123
3950
00:47
I look at the phone and I see
that I have hundreds of missed calls.
that I have hundreds of missed calls.
9
35596
3199
00:51
So I pick up the phone,
10
39843
1444
00:53
and on the other line
is a producer from the BBC,
is a producer from the BBC,
11
41311
2610
00:55
and in a thick British accent,
he asks me about my work
he asks me about my work
12
43945
3931
00:59
and specifically about my team's ability
to record people's dreams
to record people's dreams
13
47900
3877
01:03
for the first time in history.
14
51801
1753
01:05
Now, just to be clear, my work had nothing
to do with recording people's dreams.
to do with recording people's dreams.
15
53578
4817
01:10
(Laughter)
16
58419
1415
01:11
Apparently, he saw a short movie
17
59858
2658
01:14
that I made to accompany the publication
that's about to come out,
that's about to come out,
18
62540
4206
01:18
and I'm explaining the results there,
19
66770
2270
01:21
but I want to end with something
that's like a TED-like uplifting message,
that's like a TED-like uplifting message,
20
69064
4397
01:25
so I ask one of my colleagues
to explain what the future may hold.
to explain what the future may hold.
21
73485
3692
01:29
And he says, "In the future,
22
77524
1931
01:31
we'll be able to decode
people's intentions, people's memories,
people's intentions, people's memories,
23
79479
3064
01:34
people's emotions --
and maybe even their dreams."
and maybe even their dreams."
24
82567
2869
01:37
And the camera fades out.
25
85811
1445
01:40
So I explained to the producer
that we didn't actually do that.
that we didn't actually do that.
26
88406
3023
01:43
(Laughter)
27
91453
1016
01:44
And he asks me,
28
92493
1366
01:45
"But is it possible
to record people's dreams?"
to record people's dreams?"
29
93883
2241
01:48
And I say, "In theory, it's possible."
30
96148
1822
01:49
"Thank you, bye."
31
97994
1100
01:51
(Laughter)
32
99118
1109
01:52
Five minutes later, the headline on BBC:
33
100251
3198
01:55
"Scientist claims
dream recording is possible."
dream recording is possible."
34
103473
3135
01:58
(Laughter)
35
106632
2496
02:01
Within minutes, the entire world
picks up on this headline,
picks up on this headline,
36
109152
3858
02:05
and everyone speaks about my team's
ability to record people's dreams.
ability to record people's dreams.
37
113034
3286
02:08
(Laughter)
38
116344
1683
02:10
It doesn't matter how much I explained
to everyone that this was impossible.
to everyone that this was impossible.
39
118051
3864
02:13
The story now has a life of its own.
40
121939
2619
02:16
(Laughter)
41
124582
1293
02:17
So I call my dad, who is a journalist,
42
125899
2965
02:20
and I ask him,
"Dad, how can I kill a story?"
"Dad, how can I kill a story?"
43
128888
2507
02:23
And he says, "No problem,
just turn off the phone.
just turn off the phone.
44
131419
2404
02:25
No one cares about science."
45
133847
1397
02:27
So I turn off the phone --
46
135268
1285
02:28
(Laughter)
47
136577
1992
02:30
(Applause)
48
138593
1161
02:31
and people start emailing me their dreams.
49
139778
2032
02:33
(Laughter)
50
141834
1403
02:35
A famous chef asks me if I can
open his brain and extract a recipe
open his brain and extract a recipe
51
143261
4876
02:40
he's been dreaming of for a while.
52
148161
1627
02:41
(Laughter)
53
149812
1092
02:42
People ask me to look
into their spouse's dreams.
into their spouse's dreams.
54
150928
2567
02:45
Others, who finally have a proof
that the CIA is spying on them,
that the CIA is spying on them,
55
153519
3191
02:48
want me to go and testify in Congress.
56
156734
1832
02:51
Warner Brothers calls me.
57
159585
1236
02:53
They want me to be the face
of the upcoming DVD release
of the upcoming DVD release
58
161451
3352
02:56
of the movie "Inception,"
59
164827
1858
02:58
to show the science behind it.
60
166709
1541
03:00
(Laughter)
61
168274
1753
03:02
And a big computer company
62
170051
1612
03:03
wanted to option
the "dream-recording machine,"
the "dream-recording machine,"
63
171687
4404
03:08
because my device now has a name,
64
176115
2112
03:10
it has specifications,
65
178251
1882
03:12
it had Wikipedia pages
66
180157
1968
03:14
and fans all over the world.
67
182149
2015
03:16
(Laughter)
68
184188
1938
03:18
To make things worse --
69
186150
1936
03:20
(Laughter)
70
188110
1357
03:21
my students had the idea
to go out to a Halloween party
to go out to a Halloween party
71
189491
3042
03:24
to forget about things,
72
192557
1648
03:26
so I decided, in state
of a depreciative sense of humor,
of a depreciative sense of humor,
73
194229
2919
03:29
to dress up like Sigmund Freud.
74
197172
3103
03:32
(Laughter)
75
200299
1269
03:33
So now there is not only
just a story about me
just a story about me
76
201592
2239
03:35
but also a nice visual to go with it,
77
203855
2556
03:38
and I am deemed by the media now
the modern-day Freud.
the modern-day Freud.
78
206435
5031
03:43
This story went on for a few weeks,
79
211490
2366
03:45
until, fortunately, Prince William
proposed to his girlfriend,
proposed to his girlfriend,
80
213880
3420
03:49
which was much more important,
81
217324
1468
03:50
and I got to go back to my work.
82
218816
1706
03:52
(Applause)
83
220546
4420
03:56
Now, if you were interested
in studying dreams,
in studying dreams,
84
224990
3706
04:00
I would recommend starting first
85
228720
2237
04:02
by just looking at people's thoughts
when they are awake,
when they are awake,
86
230981
2722
04:05
and this is what I do.
87
233727
1214
04:07
So I am indeed a neuroscientist,
88
235639
2235
04:09
but I study the brain
in a very non-traditional way,
in a very non-traditional way,
89
237898
2883
04:12
partially inspired by my background.
90
240805
2143
04:15
Before I became a neuroscientist,
I was a computer hacker.
I was a computer hacker.
91
243540
2968
04:18
I used to break into banks
and government institutes
and government institutes
92
246944
2935
04:21
to test their security.
93
249903
2020
04:23
And I wanted to use the same
techniques that hackers use
techniques that hackers use
94
251947
4294
04:28
to look inside black boxes
95
256265
2302
04:30
when I wanted to study the brain,
96
258591
1969
04:32
looking from the inside out.
97
260584
3081
04:35
Now, neuroscientists study the brain
in one of two typical methods.
in one of two typical methods.
98
263689
3674
04:39
Some of them look at the brain
from the outside
from the outside
99
267387
2349
04:41
using imaging techniques like EEG or fMRI.
100
269760
3364
04:45
And the problem there is that the signal
is very kind of blurry, coarse.
is very kind of blurry, coarse.
101
273148
3752
04:48
So others look at the brain
from the inside,
from the inside,
102
276924
3333
04:52
where they stick electrodes
inside the brain
inside the brain
103
280281
2102
04:54
and listen to brain cells
speaking their own language.
speaking their own language.
104
282407
3175
04:57
This is very precise,
105
285606
1564
04:59
but this obviously can be done
only with animals.
only with animals.
106
287194
2340
05:02
Now, if you were to peek inside the brain
107
290518
3523
05:06
and listen to it speak,
108
294065
1737
05:07
what you would see
is that it has this electrochemical signal
is that it has this electrochemical signal
109
295826
2983
05:10
that you can translate to sound,
110
298833
1634
05:12
and this sound is
the common currency of the brain.
the common currency of the brain.
111
300491
4581
05:17
It sounds something like this.
112
305096
1598
05:18
(Clicking)
113
306718
4210
05:22
So I wanted to use this in humans,
114
310952
5023
05:27
but who would let you do that?
115
315999
1881
05:31
Patients who undergo brain surgery.
116
319296
3454
05:35
So I partner with neurosurgeons
across the globe
across the globe
117
323401
3499
05:38
who employ this unique procedure
118
326924
2071
05:41
where they open the skull of patients,
119
329019
3047
05:44
they stick electrodes in the brain
to find the source of the problem,
to find the source of the problem,
120
332090
3542
05:47
and finding the source
can take days or sometimes weeks,
can take days or sometimes weeks,
121
335656
2842
05:50
so this gives us a unique opportunity
122
338522
2915
05:53
to eavesdrop on the brains of patients
while they are awake and behaving
while they are awake and behaving
123
341461
5456
05:58
and they have their skull open
with electrodes inside.
with electrodes inside.
124
346941
2952
06:03
So now that we do that, we want to find
what triggers those cells active,
what triggers those cells active,
125
351236
4564
06:07
what makes them tick.
126
355824
1221
06:09
So what we do is we run
studies like this one.
studies like this one.
127
357482
2905
06:13
This is Linda, one of our patients.
128
361101
1881
06:15
She is sitting here
and watching those clips.
and watching those clips.
129
363006
2237
06:17
(Video) ... can't even begin to imagine.
130
365267
2047
06:19
(Singing)
131
367338
2539
06:21
Morgan Cerf: What you hear is the sound
of one cell in her brain.
of one cell in her brain.
132
369901
6015
06:27
Try to see if you can figure out
what it cares about.
what it cares about.
133
375940
2497
06:31
(Clicking)
134
379361
1222
06:32
(Video) ... I have a dream that one day --
135
380607
2000
06:34
(Clicking increases)
136
382631
3825
06:39
The Simpsons.
137
387254
1234
06:40
(Laughter)
138
388512
1151
06:41
This is one cell out of a little network
139
389687
2936
06:44
that's bound hand and fist
with the concept of The Simpsons
with the concept of The Simpsons
140
392647
3666
06:48
in Linda's brain.
141
396337
1151
06:49
Now, if you know what The Simpsons are,
142
397512
1872
06:51
then you all have
similar cells in your brain
similar cells in your brain
143
399408
2193
06:53
that came to life right now
when you saw this image.
when you saw this image.
144
401625
3357
06:57
Now, those cells are amazing.
145
405953
1898
06:59
They're very precise.
146
407875
1323
07:01
They don't fire for any cartoon character
or any yellow creature.
or any yellow creature.
147
409222
3635
07:04
(Laughter)
148
412881
1001
07:05
They only fire when you think
of The Simpsons.
of The Simpsons.
149
413906
4826
07:10
They fire when you see
any picture of The Simpsons.
any picture of The Simpsons.
150
418756
2436
07:13
Even if you hear the sound
of The Simpsons,
of The Simpsons,
151
421216
2079
07:15
or just read the text, "The Simpsons,"
these cells will fire.
these cells will fire.
152
423319
3136
07:18
In fact, they fire
even if you close your eyes
even if you close your eyes
153
426479
3047
07:21
and just imagine The Simpsons
in your own head.
in your own head.
154
429550
2523
07:24
We can remove the world,
and the show still goes on.
and the show still goes on.
155
432097
3388
07:27
And we know that because
we came back to Linda
we came back to Linda
156
435509
2507
07:30
and asked her now,
without saying anything,
without saying anything,
157
438040
2048
07:32
to just close her eyes
and recall from her memory
and recall from her memory
158
440112
2364
07:34
the things she has seen before,
159
442500
1564
07:36
and what you see is that
as she remembers The Simpsons,
as she remembers The Simpsons,
160
444088
3293
07:39
the same cell fires.
161
447405
2476
07:42
In fact, it fires seconds
before she speaks.
before she speaks.
162
450438
2968
07:45
(Clicking)
163
453430
1619
07:47
(Video) The Simpsons.
164
455073
2754
07:49
(Laughter)
165
457851
1150
07:51
So we get to see her thoughts
coming to her.
coming to her.
166
459025
2888
07:54
Now, this is remarkable,
because when I speak to you right now,
because when I speak to you right now,
167
462310
2995
07:57
I feel that everything that I have to say
comes out in real time.
comes out in real time.
168
465329
3071
08:00
But now you can tell
that we're actually a little bit behind.
that we're actually a little bit behind.
169
468424
2881
08:03
My brain plans the next word.
170
471329
4783
08:08
That's the slowest I could ever speak.
171
476136
2193
08:10
(Laughter)
172
478353
2020
08:12
So once we find such cells in her brain,
Bart Simpson, mom, dad,
Bart Simpson, mom, dad,
173
480397
4483
08:16
the Eiffel Tower, we can essentially
know what she's thinking,
know what she's thinking,
174
484904
2952
08:19
and then we can do all sorts of fancy
stuff that is based on those cells.
stuff that is based on those cells.
175
487880
3548
08:23
For example, we can have her
think of her mom
think of her mom
176
491452
2800
08:26
and just move a spaceship
on a computer screen
on a computer screen
177
494276
2524
08:28
with her thoughts alone.
178
496824
1317
08:30
Or, if I can see her thoughts arising,
179
498974
3867
08:34
I can actually do things
before she's conscious of it.
before she's conscious of it.
180
502865
2625
08:37
So I can ask her to press a button,
181
505514
1950
08:39
but beat her to it and turn
the lights on before she gets there.
the lights on before she gets there.
182
507488
3414
08:43
(Buzz)
183
511956
1285
08:45
(Laughter)
184
513837
2222
08:50
And it doesn't matter
how smart she is or how fast she is.
how smart she is or how fast she is.
185
518106
3016
08:53
I'm always going to be there earlier
because I'm inside her head.
because I'm inside her head.
186
521146
4055
08:57
(Laughter)
187
525225
1921
09:00
(Laughter)
188
528178
3452
09:03
(Applause)
189
531654
2412
09:06
And finally,
190
534090
2237
09:08
if we can actually show your thoughts,
191
536351
2913
09:11
we can just project them on a screen
in front of your eyes.
in front of your eyes.
192
539288
2992
09:15
And this is what we did five years ago.
193
543145
2253
09:17
So naturally, when people saw
thoughts on a screen,
thoughts on a screen,
194
545422
2863
09:20
they started imagining the possibility
of decoding dreams in the same way.
of decoding dreams in the same way.
195
548309
3859
09:24
Which we did not do.
196
552844
2230
09:27
(Laughter)
197
555376
1713
09:29
Until two years ago.
198
557113
1286
09:30
(Laughter)
199
558423
1221
09:31
When I got a call from the BBC again,
200
559668
1836
09:33
and they asked me about dream recording,
201
561528
1973
09:35
I told them, "You know,
we've been through it before."
we've been through it before."
202
563525
2944
09:38
And they said, "No, we actually
want you to comment
want you to comment
203
566493
2428
09:40
on the work of someone that just came out
204
568945
2596
09:43
that shows that this can be done."
205
571565
1657
09:45
So it turns out, three years
after I explained to everyone
after I explained to everyone
206
573651
3864
09:49
why this was only theoretically possible,
207
577539
2404
09:51
a colleague of mine,
Professor Yukiyasu Kamitani from Japan,
Professor Yukiyasu Kamitani from Japan,
208
579967
3026
09:55
was inspired by it and did it.
209
583017
1888
09:57
And that's when I decided
I want to do it myself.
I want to do it myself.
210
585362
2333
10:00
So I decided I'm going to dive
into dream research in two paths.
into dream research in two paths.
211
588219
4349
10:05
The researcher in me said I'm going
to try to see if we can access them
to try to see if we can access them
212
593068
3346
10:08
and show them,
213
596438
1182
10:09
and the hacker in me said
I want to see if we can influence them
I want to see if we can influence them
214
597644
3043
10:12
and change people's behaviors.
215
600731
1844
10:15
Looking into dreams
is really interesting, obviously,
is really interesting, obviously,
216
603064
3253
10:18
but it's also very helpful.
217
606341
1596
10:20
And the reason is that we don't really
know what we're dreaming precisely
know what we're dreaming precisely
218
608466
4921
10:25
if we just rely on what you tell us,
219
613411
1864
10:27
because the language that you use
is unreliable for two reasons.
is unreliable for two reasons.
220
615299
3102
10:30
One, they fade away when we wake up.
221
618425
2182
10:32
And this is by design:
222
620631
1151
10:33
this is our brain's way of making sure
we don't confuse them with real memories,
we don't confuse them with real memories,
223
621806
3833
10:37
so you don't think
you actually scored a touchdown
you actually scored a touchdown
224
625663
2412
10:40
and had dinner with Aaron Sorkin.
225
628099
1665
10:41
And if you actually remember something,
226
629788
3317
10:45
we only describe them in the vocabulary
that we have when we're awake.
that we have when we're awake.
227
633129
3936
10:49
So blind people usually don't describe
their dreams visually,
their dreams visually,
228
637089
4118
10:53
because sight isn't in their vocabulary.
229
641231
2627
10:56
Or, if anyone here is in their 70s,
230
644387
2623
10:59
it's very likely
that when you were younger,
that when you were younger,
231
647034
2114
11:01
you described your dreams
in black and white.
in black and white.
232
649172
2428
11:03
Only when people started seeing
movies in color
movies in color
233
651624
2399
11:06
did they think that dreams
should be in color too.
should be in color too.
234
654047
2664
11:09
So looking into dreams
is really interesting.
is really interesting.
235
657250
2137
11:11
It's allowing us to actually
get access to something that you forget.
get access to something that you forget.
236
659411
3266
11:14
Imagine giving Einstein, Shakespeare
or Picasso access to the dreams
or Picasso access to the dreams
237
662701
3350
11:18
they forget in the morning.
238
666075
1315
11:19
We were very excited about it,
239
667414
1429
11:20
and we said, let's try
to do it. But how?
to do it. But how?
240
668867
2077
11:22
And then we had the idea:
241
670968
1303
11:24
maybe the same neurons
that fire when you're awake
that fire when you're awake
242
672295
2342
11:26
survive even when you're sleeping.
243
674661
1722
11:28
After all, it's the same brain.
It's us, awake or asleep.
It's us, awake or asleep.
244
676407
2731
11:31
So my colleague Florian Mormann
had the idea to go to the patient
had the idea to go to the patient
245
679162
3096
11:34
and tell them a story that involved
the things that we find during the day.
the things that we find during the day.
246
682282
3572
11:37
So Bart Simpson visits Paris,
247
685878
1445
11:39
he goes to a Beatles concert
with Al Gore, and so on.
with Al Gore, and so on.
248
687347
2539
11:41
Then he asks the patient
to memorize the story and go to sleep,
to memorize the story and go to sleep,
249
689910
2960
11:44
and tells them, when you wake up,
I'll ask you to tell it again.
I'll ask you to tell it again.
250
692894
3047
11:47
And what he shows
is that when they're sleeping,
is that when they're sleeping,
251
695965
2745
11:50
the brain replays the same story
252
698734
3420
11:54
using the same neurons
253
702178
1269
11:55
in the same order, sequence and timing,
254
703471
2444
11:57
as if you see the story in your mind,
and this is remarkable.
and this is remarkable.
255
705939
2883
12:00
Now we don't know
if the story that she sees
if the story that she sees
256
708846
2623
12:03
is the same as the one that we decode.
257
711493
1810
12:05
Maybe in her mind, Al Gore is holding
a balloon and Bart Simpson is blue.
a balloon and Bart Simpson is blue.
258
713327
3831
12:09
But something about the content
is preserved, and we can now decode it.
is preserved, and we can now decode it.
259
717182
3326
12:12
And this is the first time
someone could show a dream
someone could show a dream
260
720552
2513
12:15
in such precise accuracy in humans.
261
723089
2253
12:18
So we were very excited.
262
726049
1381
12:20
But we said, this is still people
with open brains, electrodes inside.
with open brains, electrodes inside.
263
728237
4850
12:25
Can we do it with everyone?
264
733111
1657
12:27
And here, our colleagues from Japan
show us that the answer is yes.
show us that the answer is yes.
265
735646
3150
12:30
We can zoom out from the brain
266
738820
1476
12:32
and actually bring people
and try to look at their dreams.
and try to look at their dreams.
267
740320
2722
12:35
Now, when you zoom out,
the resolution decreases,
the resolution decreases,
268
743066
2353
12:37
so instead of seeing
Bart Simpson and Al Gore,
Bart Simpson and Al Gore,
269
745443
2245
12:39
you will see maybe that it's a person
270
747712
1896
12:41
or an object or some character,
271
749632
2167
12:43
but something about
the content is preserved.
the content is preserved.
272
751823
2142
12:45
And maybe we can look at it.
273
753989
1420
12:47
So we brought people to the scanner
274
755433
1919
12:49
and had them fall asleep,
275
757376
1346
12:50
and fortunately, from my experience,
276
758746
1785
12:52
people fall asleep in my studies
all the time.
all the time.
277
760555
2872
12:55
And while they are sleeping,
278
763451
1428
12:56
the computer tries to guess
what they're dreaming
what they're dreaming
279
764903
2898
12:59
using those high-level concepts.
280
767825
1563
13:01
Is it a person? Is it a character?
281
769412
1679
13:03
And once the computer
is getting good in making a guess
is getting good in making a guess
282
771507
4016
13:07
on what you're dreaming,
283
775547
1864
13:09
we wake you up
284
777435
1223
13:10
and we ask you to tell us the story.
285
778682
1800
13:12
And what we show is that the computer
is amazing in just learning over time
is amazing in just learning over time
286
780975
4635
13:17
to guess your dream
287
785634
1183
13:18
and predict something about the gist
of the story that you saw in your mind.
of the story that you saw in your mind.
288
786841
3761
13:23
So now we're pretty excited,
because we have a way to get there,
because we have a way to get there,
289
791253
3063
13:26
working both internally and externally.
290
794340
3137
13:30
So this gets us now to thinking
about the ability
about the ability
291
798216
2960
13:33
to maybe also change things
when you are asleep.
when you are asleep.
292
801200
3436
13:37
To change things when you are asleep,
293
805674
1762
13:39
you have to know something
about the function of dreams.
about the function of dreams.
294
807460
2666
13:42
And here neuroscientists are debating,
and the range of options is wide.
and the range of options is wide.
295
810150
3412
13:45
Some say the function of dreams
is to forget things, erase memories
is to forget things, erase memories
296
813586
3253
13:48
or suppress thoughts,
297
816863
1150
13:50
whereas the others say that this is
our brain's way of simulating futures,
our brain's way of simulating futures,
298
818037
4261
13:54
so you're kind of thinking about
dumping him and moving to Vancouver
dumping him and moving to Vancouver
299
822322
3529
13:57
or marrying him
and starting a family in Alabama.
and starting a family in Alabama.
300
825875
2567
14:00
You don't know the answer.
301
828466
1269
14:01
Your brain is going
to simulate both options
to simulate both options
302
829759
2110
14:03
and give you something
to think about when you wake up.
to think about when you wake up.
303
831893
2785
14:06
But regardless of whichever
option you believe in,
option you believe in,
304
834702
2714
14:09
what's common to all of them
305
837440
1391
14:10
is that during the night,
we think that this is our brain's way
we think that this is our brain's way
306
838855
3004
14:13
of keeping ourselves up
and crafting answers to problems.
and crafting answers to problems.
307
841883
5133
14:19
So we said that if we define
the right moment,
the right moment,
308
847040
4301
14:23
we can maybe change things in your dreams.
309
851365
2187
14:25
Now, this of course is quite spooky,
310
853576
1927
14:27
the idea that something
happens to me when I'm sleeping.
happens to me when I'm sleeping.
311
855527
2634
14:30
But we're going to show you
how we're using that.
how we're using that.
312
858185
2797
14:33
So a colleague of mine
brought people to the lab
brought people to the lab
313
861006
2291
14:35
who are addicted smokers,
314
863321
1446
14:36
and she had them go to sleep.
315
864791
1633
14:39
And during the sleep, she sprayed
the smell of cigarettes into their nose.
the smell of cigarettes into their nose.
316
867035
3916
14:42
And right after,
317
870975
1321
14:44
she sprayed the smell
of rotten eggs into their nose,
of rotten eggs into their nose,
318
872320
2485
14:46
making their brain think
they don't like smoking.
they don't like smoking.
319
874829
2483
14:50
And then she wakes them up.
320
878097
1302
14:51
They have no idea what happened,
321
879970
1894
14:53
but somehow their brain
creates this feeling.
creates this feeling.
322
881888
2251
14:56
So when they leave the lab,
for a few days after,
for a few days after,
323
884163
2453
14:58
they feel less of an urge to smoke.
324
886640
2023
15:01
And then we said,
325
889274
1262
15:02
let's see if we can do the same thing
with people whose awake realities
with people whose awake realities
326
890560
4145
15:06
haunt them when they are awake
327
894729
2055
15:08
and when they're sleeping,
328
896808
1683
15:10
like Nicholas.
329
898515
1554
15:12
He was discharged from the Army
after his service in Iraq
after his service in Iraq
330
900093
3501
15:15
because he has post-traumatic stress.
331
903618
2332
15:18
His awake reality bothers him,
332
906379
2068
15:20
and he is unable to solve it.
333
908471
1708
15:22
So we got him into the lab
334
910203
1245
15:23
and had him to go sleep
for several nights.
for several nights.
335
911472
2512
15:26
And every night, we paired the sounds
that trigger the traumas
that trigger the traumas
336
914008
6134
15:32
in his brain when he is awake,
337
920166
1626
15:33
and immediately after,
sprayed positive smells
sprayed positive smells
338
921816
2580
15:36
to create some changes in his brain.
339
924420
2673
15:39
(Gunfire)
340
927610
1602
15:41
So we slowly, overnight,
341
929956
1231
15:43
used the fact that our brains
and our memories are not fixed.
and our memories are not fixed.
342
931211
3554
15:46
They're malleable.
They change as we use them.
They change as we use them.
343
934789
2341
15:49
So we make his brain
remember something and override it,
remember something and override it,
344
937154
2658
15:51
remember, and override it in his dream.
345
939836
3449
15:55
And then when he wakes up,
he again has no idea what happened,
he again has no idea what happened,
346
943309
2936
15:58
but suddenly he feels
less of this anxiety when he is up.
less of this anxiety when he is up.
347
946269
3468
16:03
And this has been going on
for a few months now with Nicholas.
for a few months now with Nicholas.
348
951030
4476
16:08
So we are pretty excited about that,
349
956522
1722
16:10
and now we're trying to see if there is
a way to help other people in the same way
a way to help other people in the same way
350
958268
3873
16:14
by working with them
when they are awake in one way
when they are awake in one way
351
962165
3444
16:17
and with the same brain
when they are asleep.
when they are asleep.
352
965633
2706
16:20
And we are thinking about
other ways to enhance experiences
other ways to enhance experiences
353
968363
3919
16:24
using the opportunity
that your dream provides.
that your dream provides.
354
972306
2580
16:27
For example, what if we can teach you
things when you are asleep?
things when you are asleep?
355
975218
3659
16:30
So you go to sleep
and you wake up knowing kung fu.
and you wake up knowing kung fu.
356
978901
3325
16:34
(Laughter)
357
982250
1007
16:35
Or two people sleep side by side,
and we can share dreams simultaneously.
and we can share dreams simultaneously.
358
983281
4365
16:40
Or just help you navigate your dream
to a specific location.
to a specific location.
359
988067
3531
16:43
A lot of things in our life
are owed to dreams.
are owed to dreams.
360
991622
2626
16:46
The periodic table. Hitchcock's movies.
361
994272
2873
16:49
What if we can help you focus your dreams
on something specific?
on something specific?
362
997169
3067
16:52
Or, I know there are a lot
of engineers here.
of engineers here.
363
1000260
2096
16:54
What if I can build a device
that helps guarantee
that helps guarantee
364
1002380
2290
16:56
a positive sleep for everyone?
365
1004694
1523
16:59
We are not there yet.
366
1007058
2849
17:01
But if there is one thing
I learned from the last five years,
I learned from the last five years,
367
1009931
2999
17:04
it is that saying that something
is impossible before you know it
is impossible before you know it
368
1012954
3196
17:08
is a mistake.
369
1016174
1208
17:10
Because science
isn't just about collecting facts,
isn't just about collecting facts,
370
1018319
2776
17:13
it's also about enabling promises,
hunches and even dreams.
hunches and even dreams.
371
1021119
5428
17:19
Neuroscientists are now giving us
a new tool to control our dreams,
a new tool to control our dreams,
372
1027523
3880
17:23
a new platform to create experiences on,
373
1031427
2595
17:26
a new canvas that flickers to life
when we fall asleep.
when we fall asleep.
374
1034046
3126
17:29
So designers, perfumers,
musicians, filmmakers
musicians, filmmakers
375
1037196
3427
17:32
can now use this
to create new experiences.
to create new experiences.
376
1040647
2698
17:36
Because in the end,
377
1044385
2229
17:38
we are now able to, for the first time,
378
1046638
2818
17:41
help people change behavior
and understand ourselves better
and understand ourselves better
379
1049480
4587
17:46
by essentially teaching ourselves
to dream bigger.
to dream bigger.
380
1054091
5111
17:51
Thank you.
381
1059971
1151
17:53
(Applause)
382
1061146
6740