LETTER TO DR. HAROLD PUTHOFF & MR. RUSSELL TARG. FROM U. CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO. LANGLEY PORTER INSTITUTE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: STARGATE
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP96-00787R000500240024-7
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 14
• Document Creation Date: November 4, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 29, 2000
• Sequence Number: 24
• Publication Date: June 11, 1976
• Content Type: LETTER

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UNIVERSITY (*`p0rAVfi.0'F)jtRW0AA0q4""k6
IHERKELEY ? DAVIS ? IRVINE ? 1.05 ANGEI.LS ? 1kIVL1tSII) ? SAN DIEGO ? SAY 1 IL&NCISCO
LANGLEY PORTER NEUROPSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTE
Dr. Harold Puthoff
Mr., Russell Targ
Stanford Research Institute
333 Ravenswood Avenue
Menlo Park, California 94025
Dear Dr. Puthoff and Mr. Tarp;:
June 11, 1976
. In this letter is a summary of our efforts to refine and replicate
your report of EEG response to remote stimulation, published in NATURE
in 1975. We have first verified the effect, by playing your previously
recorded data tapes through our analysis system. We then designed a new
experiment with an EMI.-free source, tested the experiment on several of
our staff, and, finally we reran your original finding with more extensive
data acquisition and improved controls.
We played the EEG tapes of Hella llaIipid, gathered by Dr. Rebert of SRI,.
through the following analysis system, whicih can handle a maximum of six
channels simultaneously.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EEG PROCESSOR: The channels of EEG signals
are taken from the output and lead to the alpha EEG filters. The filters
were built by Kinetic Technology, Incc., of Mountain View, California, to
high specifications: corner frequencies 9.0 and 12.0 Hz, 48 db down at
8.0 and 13.0 Hz with rejection over-the rest of the stop band greater than
30 db, pass band ripple less than 0.2 db p-p. The KTI filters also had
a 30-60 mg DC offset. Therefore, a high pass filter with f=8Hz was designed
which blocked the DC offset and satisfactorily attenuated the delta
contamination, giving adequate comparison to the computer, eneratedalpha
ratios. Alpha lever, at the filter output are usually less than 400 mv.
Operational amplifiers invert and amplify the filtered alpha (gain=50) to
provide optimum (near maximum) input to the squared circuits. The alpha
signals are squared by analoguee, multipliers (Analog Devices #533K) to yield
instantaneous power, an approximation to the FF'L' computation. The transfer
function is X2/10, with a maximum of + 1OV input yielding + 10 V output.
After this stage, the signal procest;s:iuy- is commanded by a microprogrammed
controller, hardwired in TT1, logic, c: copt for read-only memories (ROM)
which control formatting in the digital. printer. A master clock is
synchronized with the power line (6011z).
1. Reanalysis of previous data.
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When the experimenter is ready to begin data acquisition, he
selects the summation time (1.-99 seconds) with a two digit thumbwheel
switch and pushes the START button. In our experiment two four second
intervals were chosen. The START function resets the summing
integrators, commands the printer to print a line of special characters
signifying the beginning of the record, delivers a 50m second .pulse to
the polygraph marker channel, and connects the outputs of the six
squared units to the integrators. Switching is handled by reed relays
for lower leakage. Soli state switching devices were used initially,
but leakage currents (10 A) were too high for the accuracy and stability
required. .The integrators make use of low loss polystyrene capacitors,..,
and FFT-input amps with ultra low (5 x 1612 A) input offset current.
This design makes it possible to use long summing intervals or interrupts
with a drift error of no more than 1%.
After the summation time has elapsed, the outputs of the six summing,
integrators are sequentially connected to the analog to digital converter
(ADC) by the analog multiplexer. When each conversion is finished
(10 bits BCD) the data is parallel loaded into shift registers. The
shift registers are then clocked by the controller to send the data in
digit serial form to the printer. This being completed, the next
integrator is connected to the ADC and the process repeats. This
continues untill all six integrators have been read and the summed power
of each EEG lead is printed. The digital printer is a MC4000 Monroe
Datalog. A fiberoptic cathode ray tube exposes light sensitive paper
quickly and (most important for our research) silently. All standard
alphanumeric characters are printable.
Next the controller commands a line feed from the printer. The
second line of data for this sample consists of the log ratios of pairs
of integrators. The log of the ratio rather than the ratio is desired
as it is linELV2,around zero, e.g., a ratio of 2/1=0.301. The analog
multiplexer is then commanded to connect the first two integrators to the
two inputs of the log ration module. Its output is an analog voltage
representing the log ratio of the two channels to a 10 bit BCD number.
The printing process is the same with the addition of a polatiry bit
indicating which hemisphere has a higher output for the task.
The process is repeated for computation of log ratios of the other two
pairs of integrators. After the last data are printed, the controller
resets the integrators, then reconnects the squaring units to their
integrators. One count is added to the trial display register which
tells the experimenter at a glance how many 30 second epochs have been
collected. The digitizing, computation and printout takes 2 seconds,
primarily due to the switching speed of the relays.
The results of this transcription and analysis are provided below:
they show power means at 07 in the null. condition greater than that of the
16 Iiz condition at greater than .01. This reanalysis confirmed the
published effect and also ensured the compatibility of our systems.
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TRANSCRIPTION OF DR. RlBERT'S TAPES
PLAYED THROUGH THE ANALYZER
FROM FEBRUARY 2, 1976 TO
FEBRUARY 6, 1976
Oz 4-8 SECONDS
X16
0
SESSION 1:1
578
490
3:1
465
397
2:1
553
466
2:3
232
174
2:4
308
236
Mean: 427.2
352.6
F-RATIO 0OMPUrATION
SS
13913
82:3
df F . .' .p.
1 169.05 ~.01
.01=21.2)
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II. In pretesting our equipment situation, we ran our experiment using
.un:selected subjects such as laboratory personnel, in order to test the
adequacy of the. experiment and to determine whether there were any
correlated electronic or mechanical discharges from the apparatus. In
20 sessions of data acquisition, of 40 each (800 trials) there were no
significant differences between the null and 16 Hz conditions.
III. For the formal replication of the experiment we used a non-radiating
electromagnetic source which could be triggered at either OHz or 16Hz.
This was stationed in a remote room approximately 10 meters from the
subject.
The trials in the experimental sessions were triggered by pulses from
one of a set of seven tapes so that no human operator was involved in the
triggering of the trials in either the 16Hz or the 0Hz condition (once
the session had.begun). These tapes were made at our laboratory during
the month preceding the experiment.
Randomized tables for the tapes were generated with a Texas Instrument
SR-51A electronic calculator, which has a random number key. This random
number key produces a sequence of two digit numbers (zero superseeded,
i.e., if the first digit is 0, the zero does not appear but can be assumed,
which is truly random (i.e., not repetitive, and with no seed number)
and distributed in a pure rectangular distribution.'
Random sequences of +'s (16Hz) and -'s (0Hz) in lengths of 40 were
generated, constrained by the requirements that 1) the trials be pseudo-
randomized within each block of trials (i.e., groups 1-10, 11-20, 21-30
and 31-40 each contain five of each kind of trial): and 2) not more than
three trials in a row of either type be allowed.
The following procedure was used:*' +'s and -'s were assigned alternat=
ely within each block of 10 trials according to the random sequences of
numbers generated by the key. E.G., if the 21-30 block was being
filled, and the random sequence of numbers was 14, 38, 45, 27: first
a + would. go to 1, then a - to 4, then + to 3, - to 8, + to 5, - to 2,
+ to 7, etc., until the block was filled and then on to the next block
(repeated digits were ignored). Further more, each + and the succeeding
was linked in-the record for editing purposes (see below).
Blocks of +'s and -'s were discarded if it was clear that they would
include sequences of four or more consecutive +'s or -'s; also,.if a
sequence of four or more +'s or -'s was created from the juxtaposition
of two blocks of 10, the latter block was reversed (+'s changed to -'s,
and vice versa). A single block of 10 trials was discarded becuase of
calculator failure in the middle of generating the block, and another
becuase of a possible recording error on the part of the operator,
otherwise, each trial that was generated was kept.
*When the condition was first turned on each time, the random number key
was pressed twice to clear initial entries.
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0
Trials were recorded on a tape with a 4 trace Ampex stereo FM tape
deck in direct mode, with pulses of 4-5 on one channel for the 16Hz
condition and on another for the 0I-Iz condition. The pulses were
produced by two Grass stimulators. They were recorded 30 seconds apart,
then checked'afterward on playback. The inter-trial interval was
checked and found to be within 1. second of 30 seconds, consistently,
with no detectable systematic difference between conditions. The
tapes were played back on a Tandberg 2-track stereo tape recorded into
a logic circut which triggered the type of trial corresponding to
the channed. There were no failures in trial triggering due to errors
in the trial tapes at any point during the experiment.
Trials were deleted after the session for three reasons only:
artifact, logic circuit failure resulting in a breakdown in the trial
sequence, or abnormal EEG power (under 50 or above 1299 on printout).
In each case, the linked trial of any trial discarded was also discarded
along with data from all leads for all 8 seconds. If more than 10
trials all together were deleted for any session, the session was
deleted. Only inthe case where it would make the difference in saying
or discarding a session were the tapes of the session played back
and reanalyzed at different levels to recover all the epochs.
This was done. for 3 sessions. The trials were deleted by experimenters
blind to the condition.
The coded tapes were selected by number with no prearrangement except
that a different tape be used for each session in a set until all
tapes were used once. Only the operator of the logic equipment had
the knowledge of which tape was being used and no person knew before
any trial what the trial type would be: that information was coded in
the tape. The coded tapes were played back through a conventional tape
recorder' producing pulses of about 5 volts which, mediated by the
digital logic, triggered the appropriate stimulus type for any trial.
Intertrial interval was fixed by the spacing of pulses on the tape to be
30+ 1 second. The command box of the free photic stimulator, when
triggered, produced a one second warning tone to both sender and receiver,
then flashed a light for 10 seconds when a 16Hz trial was ordered, or did
nothing if a null trial was ordered. The digital logic meanwhile kept
track of the events from the tape and command box and sent pulses to
turn on and off the analyzer at one and ten seconds respectively
from the onset of the trial. For each trial the digital logic generated
pulses to be recorded on the Hewlett-Packard tape for use, if necessary,
in computer analysis of the data. A 16Hz trial was differentiated from
a 0Hz trial by the presence of an initial .5 volt positive pulse for
the 16Hz trial. This was the only electronic event of difference to the
conditions that entered the recording area while the experiment was
in progress.
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The "sender" sat before the photic stimulator and behind a partition
in a separate room from the receiver or the recording equipment, but
shared a room with the logic, equipment and monitors. The number of
people in the room with the stimulator and the sender varied from one
to three. Noise from the street and hallway were also variable.
The "receiver" sat upright in a sound-attenuated darkened room and
made no overt responses for set 1, but was required to press a button
to indicate her idea of trial type about 12 seconds after the warning
tone for set 2. The subject being familiar with the nature of the
experiment was not formally instructed for each session.
The EEG output (J6) of the Grass model 7 was sent to our data
analysis system, described above and also to a Hewlett Packard FM tape
recorder, through a Vetter :,multiplex system. Our obtained means
in arbitrary relative power units are in summary in the table below
.with those differences significant at greater than .05 starred. A "set"
was define &a 100 acceptable trials to each type. After the first
set,minor modifications (such as a button to indicate guesses) were
added, and a second set was run. The total number of acceptable trials
was 222 of both types, or 424 total.
The previous experiment reported a decrement at 0 -linked mastoids
at 161Iz compared with the null condition, in the second four seconds.
We did not find this but did find a significant decrement in Oz in the
first 4 seconds of the first set. None of the other Oz comparisons
attain significance and the combined set 1 and set 2 first 4 seconds is not
significant. Therefore we did not directly repeat your earlier findings.
however, the other occipital leads do also show consistent decrements
at 16IIz compared with null, and analyzing all the data from 01 on all
424 trials over 8 seconds shows a consistent decrement.
This finding is most encouraging and does lead us to pursue the matter
further. There does seem, in these data, an indication of a
consistent effect which is difficult to explain by any arbitrary hypotheses
Since'these data are so consistent, even though it is only one subject
and the possibilities so intriguing, we propose to continue our explora-
tions. Specifically, we would like to explore factors on this experiment
such as the dependence of this effect upon the "sender" and to set the
experiment so that no one knows during the experiment which
trial is which. We would also like to explore more elaborate physiological
monitoring of the subject to more precisely determine the locus of the
effect (we found si/gi.ficance in this experiment in the occipital but
not in the central leads), and its dependence upon site of reference.
m We would also like to determine the subject variables such as Ms.
Ham id's EEG under our series of hemispheric activation tasks, and other
tests of her sensitivity to internal stimuli. If we can develop a workable
* A battery driven CW incandescent lamp, chopped by a continuously rotating
apertured disc.
0
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 1
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LIGHT CHOPPER MOTOR
RUNS CONTINUOUSLY
O @ 0
0
EEG CHANNELS
0
HALLWAY
1, 2. 3. 4
1
BETWEEN
ROOMS
~ ~~
t
ff
O 1
~p O I
T IMINC
CHANNEL 5
10 sec LOCKING
CIRCUIT CONTROLS
LAMP
10 Hz
TIMING
GENERATOR
1 kHz TONE
GENERATOR
2 sec BEFORE
EACH TOTAL
PERIOD (Light.
or No Light)
2 sec
WARNING
TONE
FIGURE 1 REMOTE SENSING EEG EXPERIMENT
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0
0-8 sec.
276 276,?'
261 24
284 268
267 249
560 544
528 494
0-4 sec.
4-8 sec.
0-8 sec.
4-8 see.
0-8 see.
353 / 425,
05* 336**
358 415
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sign at &
.,E
161 (7. ***sign at < .01
383*
413
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experimental paradign through these further tests and extensions of
the method, we would then be in a position to test many subjects in
this situation and so begin to determine the generality and
distribution of the effect on the. population.
Robert E. Ornstein
Langley Porter Neuropsychiatric
Institute
o
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POSSIBLE EEG CORRELATES TO REMOTE STIMULI UNDER
CONDITIONS OF SENSORY SHIELDING
nJ C
E. C. May, Russell Targ, and H, E. Puthoff
Stanford Research Institute, Menlo Park, California 94025
We have investigated the ability of certain
individuals to perceive remote (faint) stimuli
at a noncognitive level of awareness. To inves-
tigate this we have looked for systematic
changes in a subject's brainwave (EEG) produc-
tion occurring at the same time as light flashes
are generated on a random schedule in a remote
laboratory. Although we have found in this in-
vestigation that significant correlations appear
to exist between the times of light flashes and
the times of brainwave alterations, we consider
these data to be only suggestive, with a defini-
tive result requiring further experimentation.
INTRODUCTION
In a number of laboratories evidence has
been obtained indicating the existence of an as-
yet-unidentified channel wherein information is
coupled from remote electromagnetic stimuli to
the human nervous system as indicated by physio-
logical response, even though overt responses
such as verbalizations or key presses provide no
evidence for such information transfer. Physio-
logical measures have included plethysmographic
responsel and EEG activity.2,3 Kamiya, Lindsley,
Pribram, Silverman, Walter, and others have
suggested that a whole range of EEG responses
such as evoked potentials (EPs), spontaneous
EEG, and the contingent negative variation (CNV)
might be sensitive indicators of the detection
of remote stimuli not mediated by usual sensory
processes.4
A pilot study was therefore undertaken at
SRI to determine whether EEG activity could be
used as a. reliable indicator of information .
transmission between an isolated subject and a
remote stimulus. Following earlier work of
others, we assumed that perception could be in-
dicated by such a measure even in the absence of
verbal or other overt indicators.
To aid in selecting a stimulus, we noted
that Silverman and Buchsbaum attempted, without
success, to detect EP changes in a subject in
response to a single stroboscopic flash stimu-
lus observed by another subject.5 Kamiya sug-
gested that because of the unknown temporal
characteristics of the information channel, it
might be more appropriate to use repetitive
bursts of light to increase the probability of
detecting information transfer.6 Therefore,
in our study we chose to use repetitive light
bursts as stimuli.7-9
PILOT STUDY AT SRI
In the design of the study it was assumed
that the application of remote stimuli would
result in responses similar to those obtained
under conditions of direct stimulation. For
example, when normal subjects are stimulated
with a flashing light, their EEG typically shows
a decrease in the amplitude of the resting
rhythm and a driving of t~8 brain waves at the
frequency of the flashes. We hypothesized that
if we stimulated one subject in this manner (a
putative sender), the EEG of another subject in
a remote room with no flash present (a receiver),
might show changes in alpha (8-13 Hz) activity,
and possibly EEG driving similar to that of the
sender, either by means of coupling to the sen-
der's EEG, or by coupling directly to the
stimulus.
We informed our subject that at certain
times a light was to be flashed in a sender's
eyes in a distant room, and if the subject per-
ceived that event, consciously or unconsciously,
it might be evident from changes in his EEG out-
put. The receiver was seated in a visually
opaque, acoustically and electrically shielded
double-walled steel room located approximately
7 m from the sender's room.
We initially worked with four female and
two male volunteer subjects. These were desig-
nated "receivers." The senders were either other
subjects or the experimenters. We decided be-
forehand to run one or two sessions of 36 trials
each with each subject in this selection proce-
dure, and to do a more extensive study with any
subject whose results were positive.
A Grass PS-2 photostimulator placed about
1 m in front of the sender was used to present
flash trains of 10 s duration. The receiver's
EEG activity from the occipital region (Oz),
referenced to linked mastoids, was amplified with
a Grass 5P-1 preamplifier and associated driver
amplifier with a bandpass of 1-120 Hz. The EEG
data were recorded on magnetic tape with an Am-
pex SP 300 recorder.
On each trial, a tone burst of fixed fre-
quency was presented to both sender and receiver
and was followed in one second by either a 10 s
train of flashes or a null flash interval pre-
sented to the sender. Thirty-six such trials
were given in an experimental session, consisting
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