Brain Fingerprinting

Jessica Laks
April 26, 2005
 Background
 Brain fingerprinting: technique used to
determine scientifically what information is,
or is not stored in a particular brain
 Not a measure of guilt or innocence
 Measures the response to visual or audio
stimulus
 Applications
 National security
 Medical diagnosis
 Alzheimer’s Disease

 Advertising
 Crimial justice system
 National Security
 Identify terrorists and
accomplices prior to
attacks by determining
whether specific
information is
embedded in the
memory of the subject
 Medical Field
 Alzheimer’s Disease  Pharmeceutical
 Detects P300 companies
brainwave  See effects of new

 Symptoms medication
reversible through  Doctors can

dietary and monitor treatments

medicinal changes and adjust them
 Advertising
 Brain fingerprinting allows advertisers to
determine what information from an ad is
retained in memory
 What elements do people pay attention to

 What type of media is most effective

 How to advertise to people all over the

world
 Criminal Justice
 Used with MERMER technology
 FBI and CIA endorsed to convict criminals
 P300 brainwave is emitted if a memory

of presented stimulus exists in the brain

 Difference between perpetrator and the

innocent is the memory of the crime

scene embedded in the brain
 National Medical Advertising Criminal
security diagnosis justice

Pros •Safer US •Can save •Focus ad •Puts criminals

•Stop terrorists thousands of campaigns in jail
before they lives by early specifically on •Reduces
attack detection what works number of false
•More accusations
personalized
treatments
Cons •Infringement •Time •Constant testing •Possibility of
of privacy for consuming for for new products inaccuracy
citizens patients who can become time •Can be relied
•Can rely on need constant consuming and on too heavily
racial profiling monitoring expensive
•Must find random
people to use as
test subjects
 References
 http://www.nightwithafuturist.com

 http://brainwavescience.com

 http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2
001/07/0705_wirelies.html