Advancing information superiority through applied neuroscience

Abstract

Information superiority, defined as the capability to collect, process, and disseminate an uninterrupted flow of information, is the pillar upon which the United States will build its future military and intelligence dominance. But the foundation upon which that pillar will be constructed is neuroscience superiority: the capability to develop new technologies based on our understanding of the brain. Neuroscience superiority is needed because although the United States' ability to collect and disseminate information has dramatically increased in recent years, its ability to process information has remained roughly constant, limited by the bandwidth of human sensory perception. Advances in neuroscience and neurotechnology afford the opportunity to correct this imbalance. Here we provide an overview of our efforts in applied neuroscience research and development and highlight some of the ways in which these advances can provide critical contributions to the nation's critical national security challenges. In particular, we review technologies that provide alternative broadband communication channels into and out of the human mind, create facsimiles of neural circuits in silico, and identify expert performers through assays of the brain.