Decoding and reconstructing a subjective perceptual or cognitive experience is described. A first set of brain activity data produced in response to a first brain activity stimulus is acquired from a subject using a brain imaging device. An encoding model is used to convert the brain activity data into a corresponding set of predicted response values. A second set of brain activity data produced in response to a second brain activity stimulus is acquired from a subject and decoded using a decoding distribution derived from the encoding model, and the probability the second set of brain activity data corresponds to said predicted response values is determined. The second set of brain activity stimuli is then reconstructed based on the probability of correspondence between the second set of brain activity data and the predicted response values.
Apparatus and method for decoding sensory and cognitive information from brain activity