The beginning: Life started on Earth 3.5 billion years ago. Life begins with bacteria. 500million years-> Fish, 300m years->reptiles, 200m year->mammals, 200.000 years-> humans. The brain weight became gradually larger and larger. Art was created 30.000 to 60.000 years before. Language, 5.000 years before. Science, 3.000 years. So what does one need to know in order to study Neuroscience today? Psychology, Computer Science, Applied Physics & Engineering, Theory / Modeling, Neurobiology & Medicine (Watch lecture Videos 1 & 2). |
Recent brain research trends
1. Connectomics: Cut thin slices of the brain at the nanometer (power of 10-9) scale, detect the structures of each slice separately and then align the slices one on top of other to reconstruct the full structure, also known as the electron-microscope method. Prospects: to have a complete "blue-print", wiring diagram of a whole (healthy and sick) brain. Also, we may start to bridge the "structure-to-function" problem, i.e. how the structure of the retina of the eye relates to our ability to actually see. Finally, to enable realistic computer simulations. More on Connectomics at Wikipedia (Watch Lecture Video here).
2. Brainbow: This is the genetic staining method in vivo (light microscope - micrometer resolution). With this technique (molecular biology) one engineers a piece of DNA and some cells become colorful. Prospects: a) the structure basis for learning the brain, b) tagging and genetic-characterization of the different cell-types, c) tracing short and long range connections in brain circuits. More on Brainbow at Wikipedia (Watch Lecture Video here).
3. Brain Machine Interface: on-line BMI requires "reading" the electrical activity (its "electrical language", or code). This can happen by implanting electrodes to just one cell and record electrical activity or spikes. The spikes carry all brain messages to our body (i.e. message to raise my hand). Spikes are the common language of the brain who uses them to represent the world. Brain generates electrical activity (spikes) which makes me "understand" that i.e. I see a movie, or hear music, etc. So if one can read correctly the signals of the brain, can produce mechanical counter-effects, i.e. activate a robotic arm by recording the brain of a monkey who thinks it wants to move its arm. On the other hand, by "deep brain stimulation" one can follow all the way around and i.e. ameliorate Parkinson symptoms by implanting in the brain the correct electric signals (to "correct" the sickness). Prospects: to develop chronic brain nano-probes, to develop telemetric communication with the brain, to develop real-time multi signal processing methods, to develop a sophisticated robotic arm which not only it moves but it can "sense" by sensors the information of the object is holds or lifts. More on Brain Machine Interface at Wikipedia (Watch Lecture Video here).
4. Optogenetics: Optical simulation and recording from single neurons in the living brain by stain the cells or implant probes to cells to become sensitive to light in order for the cell to respond electrically or to transform light to electrical activity. This is the use of genetic tools to make cells sensitive to light. By this method, one may detect the group of cells (or particular region) with a problem and manipulate the behavior without implanting electrodes but externally, by shedding light (i.e. the mouse movie, optogenetics lesson, 05:40). More on Optogenetics at Wikipedia (Watch Lecture Video here).
5. Computer simulation of neuronal circuits: integration of anatomical and physiological data to provide "understanding". The Blue Brain Project: Using the powerful "Blue-Gene" IBM Computer for realistic simulation of the cortical circuits and modeling of cells, i.e. writing mathematical equations to describe how each cell type works. Finally, by running all equations you get a system. Simulation-based medicine. ones understand the model and then tries to fix the brain (Watch Lecture Video here).
Related reading
- McAuliffe Kathleen, 2011. If modern humans are so smart, why our brains are shrinking?, Discovermagazine.com
- Hildt Elisabeth, 2006. Electrodes in the brain: Some anthropological and ethical aspects of deep brain stimulation, Internation Review of Information Ethics, vol.5
- Cognition, Brain and Consciousness, Science Direct, 2010
- V. Srinivasa Chakravarthy, Demystifing the mind.
- The Eyewire Project
- Human Connectome Project
- The Connectome Mapping Toolkit
- Hildt Elisabeth, 2006. Electrodes in the brain: Some anthropological and ethical aspects of deep brain stimulation, Internation Review of Information Ethics, vol.5
- Cognition, Brain and Consciousness, Science Direct, 2010
- V. Srinivasa Chakravarthy, Demystifing the mind.
- The Eyewire Project
- Human Connectome Project
- The Connectome Mapping Toolkit
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