Can human thoughts be encoded, decoded and manipulated to achieve symbiosis of the brain and the machine

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolay Raychev ◽  

This article discusses the current state of neurointerface technologies, not limited to deep electrode approaches. There are new heuristic ideas for creating a fast and broadband channel from the brain to artificial intelligence. One of the ideas is not to decipher the natural codes of nerve cells, but to create conditions for the development of a new language for communication between the human brain and artificial intelligence tools. Theoretically, this is possible if the brain "feels" that by changing the activity of nerve cells that communicate with the computer, it is possible to "achieve" the necessary actions for the body in the external environment, for example, to take a cup of coffee or turn on your favorite music. At the same time, an artificial neural network that analyzes the flow of nerve impulses must also be directed at the brain, trying to guess the body's needs at the moment with a minimum number of movements. The most important obstacle to further progress is the problem of biocompatibility, which has not yet been resolved. This is even more important than the number of electrodes and the power of the processors on the chip. When you insert a foreign object into your brain, it tries to isolate itself from it. This is a multidisciplinary topic not only for doctors and psychophysiologists, but also for engineers, programmers, mathematicians. Of course, the problem is complex and it will be possible to overcome it only with joint efforts.

Parasitology ◽  
1941 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 373-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gwendolen Rees

1. The structure of the proboscides of the larva of Dibothriorhynchus grossum (Rud.) is described. Each proboscis is provided with four sets of extrinsic muscles, and there is an anterior dorso-ventral muscle mass connected to all four proboscides.2. The musculature of the body and scolex is described.3. The nervous system consists of a brain, two lateral nerve cords, two outer and inner anterior nerves on each side, twenty-five pairs of bothridial nerves to each bothridium, four longitudinal bothridial nerves connecting these latter before their entry into the bothridia, four proboscis nerves arising from the brain, and a series of lateral nerves supplying the lateral regions of the body.4. The so-called ganglia contain no nerve cells, these are present only in the posterior median commissure which is therefore the nerve centre.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 933-960
Author(s):  
Harry Collins

Abstract Here I try to improve on the available answers to certain long-debated questions and set out some consequences for the answers. Are there limits to the extent to which we can understand the conceptual worlds of other human communities and of non-human creatures? How does this question relate to our ability to engage in other cultures’ practices and languages? What is meant by ‘the body’ and what is meant by ‘the brain’ and how do different meanings bear on the questions? The central answer developed here is that it is possible, given the right circumstances, for a competent human from any human group to understand the culture of any other human group without engaging in their practices though there are barriers when it comes to communication across species. This answer has important social and political consequences and consequences for the debate about artificial intelligence.


The main events and circumstances of human evolution are considered: classification of hominids, first descriptions, localization, chronology; artifacts characterizing their material and cultural activities; modern reconstruction of lifestyle and resettlement; and modern theories explaining the structural features of hominids and the processes of their occurrence. The manifestations of intelligent activity are discussed, in particular, their dependence from the structure of the body, the size, and complexity of the brain, for which comparisons with various animals are made. Particular attention is paid to unresolved or controversial issues. This material is necessary to assess the possibilities of the self-organization of complex systems theory (second chapter): if it adequately models the characteristics of a human's origin, then it can be used to understand the evolution of human mind and in the subsequent period, up to the current state.


1974 ◽  
Vol 52 (6) ◽  
pp. 1192-1200 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Brodeur ◽  
S. Lalonde ◽  
J. Leroux

The influence of food deprivation on the disposition of barbital during the early phase following administration of the drug was studied in mice and rats. Starvation consisted of withholding solid food, but not water, for 24–72 h in mice, and 72 h in rats. The results show that starvation leads to higher blood concentrations of barbital given intraperitoneally (i.p.) and subcutaneously to mice and rats, and intramuscularly to rats. This effect was observed 2.5–10 min following the injection of the barbiturate. In mice, starvation significantly reduced the interval between injection of the drug and loss of the righting reflex, but it extended the duration of the sleeping period. When barbital was given intravenously, starvation no longer resulted in higher blood concentrations of the drug, although starved mice went to sleep more rapidly than fed controls. At the moment of loss of the righting reflex. starved mice had significantly lower concentrations of barbital in the brain than fed controls. The total blood and plasma volumes of starved animals were moderately increased when expressed as a percentage of the body weight. These results suggest that starvation might influence the early phase of barbital absorption following its parenteral administration. There is also an indication that starvation could induce a state of hypersensitivity of the central nervous system to barbital.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamar Shochat ◽  
Eran Tauber

Earth’s rotation creates a cycle of day and night, which is observed as changes in light levels and temperature. During evolution, plants and animals adapted to these cycles, developing daily cycles of physical and behavioral processes that are driven by a central biological clock, also known as the circadian clock. Even in the absence of changes in light between day and night, the biological clock creates cycles called circadian rhythms. The nervous system transfers information about the external light level to the biological clock in the brain, which matches the clock’s cycle to the external environment. The biological clock prepares the body for environmental changes. The modern world has created disruptions in the circadian clock’s timing, because of electrical lighting, flights to other time zones, and work during the night. The study of chronobiology studies the mechanisms of the biological clock and the clock’s influence on human health.


2020 ◽  
Vol 74 ◽  
pp. 517-531
Author(s):  
Wioletta Kazana ◽  
Agnieszka Zabłocka

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays an important role in the proper functioning of the nervous system. It regulates the growth and survival of nerve cells, and is crucial in processes related to the memory, learning and synaptic plasticity. Abnormalities related to the distribution and secretion of BDNF protein accompany many diseases of the nervous system, in the course of which a significant decrease in BDNF level in the brain is observed. Impairments of BDNF transport may occur, for example, in the event of a single nucleotide polymorphism in the Bdnf (Val66Met) coding gene or due to the dysfunctions of the proteins involved in intracellular transport, such as huntingtin (HTT), huntingtin-associated protein 1 (HAP1), carboxypeptidase E (CPE) or sortilin 1 (SORT1). One of the therapeutic goals in the treatment of diseases of the central nervous system may be the regulation of expression and secretion of BDNF protein by nerve cells. Potential therapeutic strategies are based on direct injection of the protein into the specific region of the brain, the use of viral vectors expressing the Bdnf gene, transplantation of BDNF-producing cells, the use of substances of natural origin that stimulate the cells of the central nervous system for BDNF production, or the use of molecules activating the main receptor for BDNF – tyrosine receptor kinase B (TrkB). In addition, an appropriate lifestyle that promotes physical activity helps to increase BDNF level in the body. This paper summarizes the current knowledge about the biological role of BDNF protein and proteins involved in intracellular transport of this neurotrophin. Moreover, it presents contemporary research trends to develop therapeutic methods, leading to an increase in the level of BDNF protein in the brain.


2017 ◽  
Vol 118 (4) ◽  
pp. 2110-2131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guy Avraham ◽  
Firas Mawase ◽  
Amir Karniel ◽  
Lior Shmuelof ◽  
Opher Donchin ◽  
...  

To adapt to deterministic force perturbations that depend on the current state of the hand, internal representations are formed to capture the relationships between forces experienced and motion. However, information from multiple modalities travels at different rates, resulting in intermodal delays that require compensation for these internal representations to develop. To understand how these delays are represented by the brain, we presented participants with delayed velocity-dependent force fields, i.e., forces that depend on hand velocity either 70 or 100 ms beforehand. We probed the internal representation of these delayed forces by examining the forces the participants applied to cope with the perturbations. The findings showed that for both delayed forces, the best model of internal representation consisted of a delayed velocity and current position and velocity. We show that participants relied initially on the current state, but with adaptation, the contribution of the delayed representation to adaptation increased. After adaptation, when the participants were asked to make movements with a higher velocity for which they had not previously experienced with the delayed force field, they applied forces that were consistent with current position and velocity as well as delayed velocity representations. This suggests that the sensorimotor system represents delayed force feedback using current and delayed state information and that it uses this representation when generalizing to faster movements. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The brain compensates for forces in the body and the environment to control movements, but it is unclear how it does so given the inherent delays in information transmission and processing. We examined how participants cope with delayed forces that depend on their arm velocity 70 or 100 ms beforehand. After adaptation, participants applied opposing forces that revealed a partially correct representation of the perturbation using the current and the delayed information.


2020 ◽  
Vol 100 (3) ◽  
pp. 1291-1346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thor W. R. Hansen ◽  
Ronald J. Wong ◽  
David K. Stevenson

Bilirubin is the end product of heme catabolism formed during a process that involves oxidation-reduction reactions and conserves iron body stores. Unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia is common in newborn infants, but rare later in life. The basic physiology of bilirubin metabolism, such as production, transport, and excretion, has been well described. However, in the neonate, numerous variables related to nutrition, ethnicity, and genetic variants at several metabolic steps may be superimposed on the normal physiological hyperbilirubinemia that occurs in the first week of life and results in bilirubin levels that may be toxic to the brain. Bilirubin exists in several isomeric forms that differ in their polarities and is considered a physiologically important antioxidant. Here we review the chemistry of the bilirubin molecule and its metabolism in the body with a particular focus on the processes that impact the newborn infant, and how differences relative to older children and adults contribute to the risk of developing both acute and long-term neurological sequelae in the newborn infant. The final section deals with the interplay between the brain and bilirubin and its entry, clearance, and accumulation. We conclude with a discussion of the current state of knowledge regarding the mechanism(s) of bilirubin neurotoxicity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (3(September-December)) ◽  
pp. e642020
Author(s):  
Ricardo Santos De Oliveira

The human brain contains around 86 billion nerve cells and about as many glial cells [1]. In addition, there are about 100 trillion connections between the nerve cells alone. While mapping all the connections of a human brain remains out of reach, scientists have started to address the problem on a smaller scale. The term artificial neural networks (ANNs or simply neural networks (NNs), encompassing a family of nonlinear computational methods that, at least in the early stage of their development, were inspired by the functioning of the human brain. Indeed, the first ANNs were nothing more than integrated circuits devised to reproduce and understand the transmission of nerve stimuli and signals in the human central nervous system [2]. The correct way of doing it is to the first study human behavior. The human brain has a biological neural network that has billions of interconnections. As the brain learns, these connections are either formed, changed or removed, similar to how an artificial neural network adjusts its weights to account for a new training example. This complexity is the reason why it is said that practice makes one perfect since a greater number of learning instances allow the biological neural network to become better at whatever it is doing. Depending upon the stimulus, only a certain subset of neurons are activated in the nervous system. Recently, Moreau et al., [3] published an interesting paper studying how artificial intelligence can help doctors and patients with meningiomas make better treatment decisions, according to a new study. They demonstrated that their models were capable of predicting meaningful individual-specific clinical outcome variables and show good generalizability across the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database to predict meningioma malignancy and survival after specific treatments. Statistical learning models were trained and validated on 62,844 patients from the SEER database and a model scoring for the malignancy model was performed using a series of metrics. A free smartphone and web application were also provided for readers to access and test the predictive models (www.meningioma.app). The use of artificial intelligence techniques is gradually bringing efficient theoretical solutions to a large number of real-world clinical problems related to the brain (4). Specifically, recently, thanks to the accumulation of relevant data and the development of increasingly effective algorithms, it has been possible to significantly increase the understanding of complex brain mechanisms. The researchers' efforts are creating increasingly sophisticated and interpretable algorithms, which could favor a more intensive use of “intelligent” technologies in practical clinical contexts. Brain and machine working together will improve the power of these methods to make individual-patient predictions could lead to improved diagnosis, patient counseling, and outcomes.


The human behavior results from a joint activity of the nervous system with the sensory organs and endocrine glands. The nervous system plays a decisive role in the behavior and mental processes, coordinating the relationship that the body has with the external environment and ensuring the internal communication of the body. With the evolution of technology and increasing public knowledge of marketing techniques to attract consumers to buy certain products, the Marketing area is currently faced with the need to develop new mechanisms for neurobehavioral interpretation. This, a new sub-area of Marketing begins to emerge designated Neuromarketing. Neuromarketing combines psychology, neuroscience, and economics to help marketers better understand consumer behaviour. Neuroscientific technologies are used in order to understand the consumer motivations and emotions and to study how the brain is physiologically affected by advertising and marketing strategies.


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