Mehdi Ordikhani-Seyedlar: What happens in your brain when you pay attention?
مەهدی ئۆردیخانی-سەیەدلار: کاتێک سەرنج دەدەیت چی لە مێشکتدا ڕوودەدات؟
Mehdi Ordikhani-Seyedlar is a computational neuroscientist, researching brain signals and their usage in brain-machine interfaces. Full bio
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in so many different directions at a time,
بۆ لای چەند شتێک دەچێت،
if you can stay focused.
بە وریاییەوە بمێنیتەوە.
is all about what we are focusing on,
ئەوەیە کە بیری لێ دەکەیتەوە،
our brain is trying to filter out.
چ زانیاریەک فلتەر بکات.
you direct your attention.
you move your eyes towards something
بە ڕووی شتێک دەجوڵێنیت
you pay attention to something,
your direction of the eyes,
the surrounding area,
brain-machine interfaces,
the brain and the computer.
بۆ ئێمە گرنگە
we can build models for the computers,
نموونەی بۆ دروست بکەین،
how well our brain functions.
can be used as assistive devices
an interesting model for computers.
نموونەیەکی دیار بۆ کۆمپیتەر.
what are the brainwave patterns
or when you look covertly.
ناڕاستەوخۆ سەیر دەکەیت.
there are two flickering squares,
چوارگۆشەی درەوشاوە هەیە،
at a slower rate than the other one.
you are paying attention to,
will start resonating in the same rate
بە هەمان ئاست کاردانەوەی دەبێت
you are watching
when you pay overt attention,
بە ڕاستەوخۆ سەرنج دەدەیت،
in one of the squares
we saw that these flickering squares
بینیمان ئەم چوارگۆشانە
from the back of their head,
of your visual information.
when you pay covert attention.
دەدەن چی لە مێشکت ڕوو دەدات.
to look in the middle of the screen
بەبێ جوڵاندنی چاوەکانیان
to either of these squares.
appeared in their brain signals,
لە هێماکانی مێشک دەرکەوت،
which was paid attention to,
the activation of the frontal area.
کردنی ناوچەی پێشەوەی مێشکە.
is responsible
it seems that it works as a filter
only from the right flicker
لە بەشە درەوشاوەکەی لای ڕاستە کار بکات
coming from the ignored one.
لە بەشی پشتگوێ خراو دێت، دەکات.
is indeed a key for attention,
بەڕاستی کلیلی سەڕنج دانە،
ADHD.
cannot inhibit these distractors,
ناتوانێ ڕێگری لە ئاڵوزی بکات،
for a long time on a single task.
بیر لەیەک شت بکەنەوە.
کۆمپیوتەرەکە بەستراوە،
بە مێشک بەکاربێنین
brain-machine interfaces
لیکۆڵینەوەی بواری مێشک.
and he lost complete ability to speak.
توانای قسەکردنی لە دەست دا.
but there was no way to respond,
بەڵام وەڵامی نەبوو،
because he was illiterate.
ساڵانێک کارکردنم لەم بوارەدا،
مێشک بدۆزینەوە
about images or even letters,
وێنە یان پیت دەکەنەوە،
a different brainwave pattern
شێوە جیاوازتر
communicate for people who can't speak?
بتوانی لە کەسی لاڵ تێبگات؟
کەسێک لە هۆش چووبێت؟
the thoughts of a person in a coma?
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Mehdi Ordikhani-Seyedlar - NeuroscientistMehdi Ordikhani-Seyedlar is a computational neuroscientist, researching brain signals and their usage in brain-machine interfaces.
Why you should listen
Mehdi Ordikhani-Seyedlar is a research scientist interested in brain-wave patterns generated by neural activities in the brain. Since embarking on his research on neuroscience, Ordikhani-Seyedlar has been working on different brain functions such as learning, memory, pain and, more recently, visual attention in humans. He also conducted a part of his research on monkeys when he was in Dr. Miguel Nicolelis' lab at Duke University. His findings help implement more accurate brain-machine interfaces to treat people who are suffering from attention deficiency.
After receiving his Ph.D in Biomedical Engineering, Ordikhani-Seyedlar was offered a postdoctoral position by Duke University to develop algorithms to process large-scale neuronal activity and brain-machine interfaces. However, due to political complications in the United States, Ordikhani-Seyedlar -- an Iranian citizen -- changed his plan to continue his brain research outside the US for some time.
As a passionate neuroscientist and neuroengineer, Ordikhani-Seyedlar's aim is to improve brain pattern detectability in computers. This enhances the ability of brain-machine interfaces substantially to better target the defected brain function which in turn enhances the sustainability of treatment effect.
Mehdi Ordikhani-Seyedlar | Speaker | TED.com