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Modern science has quite an array of methods trying to localize and analyze brain activity, trying to get down to individual neurons firing: EEG, fMRI, CT, etc. This requires very expensive machines to record data, lots of processing power, trained technicians, etc. At the same time each one of us has a brain which we are trying to study with these methods. I'm interested in knowing is if there has been experiments in which people have developed new "diagnostic" senses or feelings about their own brain activity and these senses correlate with modern scientific equipment. In other words: "when a person feels x, a machine would pick y signal off the patients brain, which can be reproduced across attempts".

Here are a couple examples of "new senses" that I can think of:

  • finger magnets, which let a person feel magnetic fields after a few months of implantation
  • vibrating ankle bracelets that help a person learn to feel true north

Alternatively, maybe there was a group of notable test subjects who were really good at understanding/expressing their feelings. Did these feelings for test subjects translate into predictable scientific instrument readings?

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  • $\begingroup$ (a) Are there correlates between "feelings" and neuroimaging results? "Feeling" is not a current scientific term. But not matter wether you refer to emotions (anger, joy, sorrow) or perceptions (temperature sensation, pain), both have shown distinct patterns in neuroimaging results. The media have been full with that, just google it. (b) Humans seem to have a magnetic sensibility: dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2006.08.068, so it might be possible that you can train and condition it. I'm not aware of any research on that. $\endgroup$
    – user1196
    Mar 16, 2013 at 15:06
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    $\begingroup$ It's related, but not exactly what you are seeking: check out Kevin Warwick who has used himself as a test subject in the "new senses" research you are speaking about. $\endgroup$
    – Chuck Sherrington
    Mar 16, 2013 at 18:08
  • $\begingroup$ I think I get the idea of what you're asking, but because I can't imagine any specific experimental setup of how you would test this, I'm still not clear on what you're asking. $\endgroup$
    – Seanny123
    Jul 16, 2017 at 19:58

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