A method and apparatus for multifaceted electroencephalographic response analysis (MERA) is described. MERA involves presenting stimuli to a subject through at least one of the visual and auditory modalities, recording electrophysiological brain responses indicative of information processing in response to the stimuli, and analyzing multiple features of the brain responses. This technique is used both to detect concealed information in the brain and to communicate directly from a brain to a computer (110), and thus to command computers and also to command mechanical devices (180). The memory and encoding related multifaceted electroencephalographic response (MERMER), a particular brain response elicited by, and unfolding within two seconds of the onset of, noteworthy stimuli, involving an electrically positive aspect generally maximal parietally followed by an electrically negative aspect with substantial frontal amplitude, and also involving characteristic changes in the frequency domain, is detected, analyzed, and applied for the above stated purposes. The MERMER is elicited by stimuli that refer to concealed information noteworthy to an individual and also by stimuli that are noteworthy due to a subject's desire to communicate the information to which they refer.
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MULTIFACETED ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHIC RESPONSE ANALYSIS (MERA)