How GPUs Power Real Time Brain Visualization

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Adam Gazzaley

Adam Gazzaley

Over at the Cuda Developer Zone, Calisa Cole writes that Dr. Adam Gazzaley of UC San Francisco is using GPU computing to accelerate brain science research.

We are working with a distributed team (UCSF/Stanford/UCSD and Eyevapor) to CUDA-enable EEG processing to increase the fidelity of real-time brain activity recordings. The goal is to more accurately represent the brain sources and neural networks, as well as to perform real-time artifact correction and mental state decoding. Not only will this improve the visualization capabilities (giving Mickey more accurate recordings for his concerts), but more importantly, it will move EEG closer to being a real-time scientific tool. Then we can use it a host of new studies in our lab, including neurofeedback and closed-loop brain stimulation. Where CUDA and the GPU really excel is with very intense computations that use large matrices. We generate that type of data when we’re recording real time brain activity across many electrodes. There is a lot of potential with this type of high-power technology.

One recent aspect of Gazzaley’s research is looking into the role of rhythm in higher-order brain function and how we can influence brain rhythms through interventions, such as video game training and neurofeedback. In this video, Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart Mickey wears an EEG cap connected to a computer and projector, enabling the audience to view a real-time visualization of Mickey’s brain and also hear a sonification of his brain activity.

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