brain decoding started about ten years ago, when neuroscientists realized that there was a lot of untapped information in the brain scans they were producing using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI);  by brain decoding, scientists may be able to decode people’s thoughts, their dreams and even their intentions; some companies are starting to pursue brain decoding for a few applications, such as market research and lie detection;  brain decoding relies on the fact that correlations can be established between brain activity and the outside world;