 Brain waves reveal disease and colour blindness
10 August
2006
A young Sydney researcher hopes to
develop a way to
diagnose and monitor diseases by analysing how the brain responds to colour.
Mei Ying Boon and her colleagues have
developed mathematical techniques with which they can objectively analyse
recordings of brain waves to determine how people respond to fine differences in
colour.
"Eye diseases such as glaucoma can
alter people's ability to perceive colour," says Mei Boon, a University of New
South Wales PhD student. "Therefore, studying brain activity could be a useful
way to diagnose and monitor diseases, and the conditions that affect colour
vision pathways in the brain."
Twenty two adult volunteers had their
brain waves recorded while they viewed computer patterns composed of two
different shades. The two colours ranged from very different (red and green) to
very similar. If the viewer couldn’t distinguish the colours, then the pattern
was invisible to them.
When the volunteers could see the
pattern, their brain waves included a distinctively patterned wave. The
researchers measured this signal three different ways and found it could be used
to reveal the finest colour discriminations that individuals can make. The
result: a potential visual health test.
The research has uses for healthy
people too.
"People's natural ability to make fine
distinctions between colours varies in the population," says Mei who published
her findings with her UNSW co-authors, Dr Catherine Suttle and Associate
Professor Bruce Henry. "For example, we've all met people who may have lived
most of their lives unaware that they mix up colours, or wear colours that
clash.
"For most of us, this isn't a big deal
but for those with poor colour discrimination it can make apparently simple
tasks difficult. For example, perceiving colours affects our ability to carry
out daily tasks such as food preparation—which is the ripe tomato?—or to
interpret signals such as traffic lights," says Mei.
"More seriously, poor colour vision
can be a safety issue for fire-fighters, electricians and other professions. The
ability to test objectively people's natural perception of fine colour
discrimination could provide them with valuable information about their natural
ability."
Mei Ying Boon is one of 16 Fresh
Scientists who are presenting their research to school students and the general
public for the first time thanks to Fresh Science, a national program hosted by
the Melbourne Museum and sponsored by the Federal and Victorian governments, New Scientist,
The Australian and Quantum Communications Victoria. One of the Fresh Scientists will win a trip
to the UK courtesy of the British Council to present his or her work to the
Royal Institution.
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