Free choice and monkeys: researchers record the moment a mind is changed

Free will is considered the domain of philosophers, but this long lasting question might actually be put to rest by neuroscience. In a most intriguing research, a team at Stanford analyzed the key brain motor patterns in monkeys as they made specific decisions, and eventually recorded the moment-by-moment patterns that lead to change of mind. This basic neuroscience discovery could be used to improve brain-computer algorithms and thus refine control of thought-controlled prostheses such that a robotic arm or leg might be moved only when the user is certain of its decisions, thereby avoiding premature or inopportune moments. (ZME Science)