Brain hackers

This is the page of the Brain Hackers aka the Neurohacking/Neuromodulation London Hackspace Group. We do experiments and play around with kits to measure and alter brain activity in a non-invasive way and develop novel accessible neurostimulation means accompanied by real time measurement and feedback. Some of us are trained neuroscientists or electronics engineers, others are hobbyists. All friendly and interested people are welcome to volunteer and participate in trials, but everything is obviously at your own risk (where such risk may exist).

We are now in the process of organizing and starting work on a few specific projects from the Project Ideas. More update on this in the coming weeks.

List of measurement and stimulation kit available by different members of the group:

-EEG -> multiple copies of the 1 channel bipolar (TrueSense Kit) sensor, multiple copies of MindWave Mobile (1 channel) and Muse (4 channels), Emotiv Epoc+ (14 channels), KT88 (16 channels, photic stimulation), AMEA slow potentials mapper (2 channels)

-tDCS (transcranial direct current stimulation) -> DIY, via Starstim, via foc.us

-tACS/tPCS (transcranial alternate current stimulation) -> DIY, foc.us, thync, Rhythm-2 2 channel tPCS stimulation device, DrTES (transcranial analgesia device)

-Transcranial laser / decoherent light stimulation within optical permeability window of tissues (roughly between 600 and 1200 nm) -> Matrix LLLT with in-built photometer and external biofeedback block, impulse modulated 890 nm and 635 nm single and matrix lasers, continuous modulated 810 and 640 nm, all-inclusive large laser/LED combining heads

-High Power TMS (short pulses up to 1 Tesla, modulation 2-2500 Hz) - TDHP40DEL with 4 coils.

-Weak field TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation, microtesla range or even lower) -> 64 coil Koren/Murphy/Persinger helmet augmented for placement of more coils, smaller phone tap coils - based hats and setups, large (3m) coil, MIT-MT stimulator (0.1-99 Hz range) with different size coils (induction going up to 30 mT max, 8-shaped configuration up to 10 mT) including coils with centrally positioned high power red, IR and blue LEDs for combined light/photic and magnetic stimulation, MIT-11 stimulator with coils similar to MIT-MT but different induction and frequency step settings, Almag-02 Version 2 running field (up to 50 mT) pre-programmed multi-coil stimulator, Gefest peripheral feedback 4-coil stimulator (tissue impedance - modulated very low (> 1 Hz) frequency fields up to 10 mT)

- SHF - Aquaton weak (microwatt range) SHF stimulator (1.001 GHz that can be modulated at 0.1, 8 and 16 Hz) with an external antenna

- Ultrasound: MIT-11 stimulator supports 44 kHz 2-5 mkm amplitude ultrasound which can be modulated from 0 to 99.9 Hz with a 0.1 Hz step.

-Other -> photopletismograph with vegetative status estimation capability, modulated high voltage "singing arc", scopes, magnetometers, function generators, amps, shielded random number generator etc.

DIY news: - USB fully software-controlled 2 channel combined electro/TMS/infrared stimulator is now fully operational, new version that will also support a DC component is on the way. - PoC code that internetworks BCI's from various vendors will be available soon - it already works on Macs with Mindwave and Muse. - We have obtained an intranasal electrode which can be used both for electrostimulation of medial prefrontal cortex and nootropics electrophoresis. Will start experimenting with electrophoresis of 20 % Piracetam soon

Miscellanea: Michael Persinger's "God Helmet" effectiveness has been reproduced by an independent group: http://www.scribd.com/doc/267811996/God-Helmet-Replication-Study Possible step towards CEMI: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160114121806.htm Effects of ~100 nT 2 kHz field on short term memory and attention have been detected: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bem.21944/full

Politics: Some of us actively stand for excluding nootropics, ergotropics and adaptogenes from this Bill together with the rest of http://www.transhumanistparty.org.uk/ - see https://www.newscientist.com/article/2074813-youre-not-hallucinating-mps-really-did-pass-crazy-bad-drug-law/ First they ban enhancing substances, and then go after the devices! Join the campaign if you are not indifferent.

Of course, you are more than welcome to suggest other relevant ideas to test and projects to try. The possibilities are, indeed, "Limitless" (pun intended).

P.S.: folks from Mind Hacking and Biohacking groups are, of course, welcome to join in, but we surely need electronic engineering and coding enthusiasts interested in such matters!

---

For neuroscience and technical questions and curiosities involving brain hacking, feel free to get in touch with any of the following:

Martin Dinov

Andrew Vladimirov

Dirk Bruere

---

Some of the popular relevant presentations from Andrew can be found here:

https://wiki.london.hackspace.org.uk/w/index.php?title=File:Cogenhancement_part1.pdf

https://wiki.london.hackspace.org.uk/w/index.php?title=File:Cogenchancement_part2.pdf

https://wiki.london.hackspace.org.uk/w/index.php?title=File:The-future-of-accessible-neurostimulation.pdf

https://wiki.london.hackspace.org.uk/w/index.php?title=File:Self_hacking_via_replay_attacks.pdf

https://wiki.london.hackspace.org.uk/w/images/b/b9/The_rise_of_neurosocial_networks.pdf

Some of us on BBC Radio 4 and on Sky TV:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/b050zpwt

http://news.sky.com/story/1522367/brain-hacking-on-rise-could-it-make-you-perkier

Us at the first UK Brain hackathon as team Neurocraft:

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/brain-hackathon-hacking-brainwaves-to-extend-the-mind

An article in The Long and Short/New Statesman after a journalist has visited Hackspace:

http://thelongandshort.org/issues/season-four/hooking-up-zapping-your-brain.html

http://www.newstatesman.com/lifestyle/2015/07/hacking-brain-can-diy-neuroscience-make-you-happier-and-smarter

Somewhat confused report at CNN Money:

http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2015/12/02/london-brain-hacker.cnnmoney

About our Brain Hacking stand at the Lisbon Maker Faire Sept 2015:

http://nerri.eu/eng/news-highlights/nerri-news/hacking-the-brain-at-lisbon-maker-faire.aspx

We've got a chapter on the near future of accessible neurostimulation in

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Anticipating-2025-radical-changes-whether-ebook/dp/B00L2EAUP8

and another two on neurosocial networks and on machine learning in

http://fob.fastfuturepublishing.com/

with presentation videos available at

http://londonfuturists.com/2015/06/22/the-future-of-business/

Bibliography

Some relevant reading for those who want to go hardcore :-) Of course it is far from being complete and badly needs to be updated, oh well...

---

Accessible measurement methodologies and BCI

Neurostimulation methods and their effects

Possible molecular level neurostimulation mechanisms and related works

Putative subatomic level mechanisms and related works

Neuronal growth promotion and control via neurostimulation

Neurofeedback

Neuronal plasticity, learning, memory, the "binding factor"

Miscellaneous electromagnetic signaling in the brain

Alternative theories of consciousness and related publications for those interested in such weird stuff