The video was recorded during a brain surgery on a patient who was awake and reciting a series of numbers

Researchers from the company Precision Neuroscience have managed to capture images of how thoughts form in the brain in real time. The team was able to visualize the electrical signals produced by neurons when a person thinks or speaks, thanks to their brain implant, which uses flexible electrode arrays placed on the brain’s surface. This technology could help people with paralysis control computers and “have an office job,” they claim.

The video was captured during one of their experiments, where the team implanted these electrodes in a man’s brain while he was undergoing surgery to treat an illness. The patient remained awake during the procedure, allowing researchers to record his brain activity as he recited various numbers.

The resulting video (a slowed-down GIF version can be seen below) has been decelerated 20 times to make the process visible. It displays a map of electrical activity in the brain, where red and orange points indicate higher voltage and blue and purple indicate lower voltage.

Ben Rapoport, co-founder and chief scientific officer of Precision Neuroscience, describes this video as “the physical manifestation of thought,” as it shows how electrical signals are organized in the brain during speech production. The ability to visualize these patterns opens new possibilities for understanding how thoughts are formed and how we might decode a person’s intentions before they express them verbally.

Researchers believe this breakthrough has great potential in developing technologies that allow people with paralysis or communication difficulties to interact with the world through thought. Although Precision’s electrodes are still in the testing phase, mainly in patients already requiring brain surgery, the results so far are promising.