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Category: neuroscience

Quantum hyperdimensional computing can work 500 times faster than other methods

Cleveland Clinic researchers are unlocking quantum computing’s full potential through the creation of a new computing paradigm inspired by the human brain. Fabio Cumbo, Ph.D., research associate in the lab of Daniel Blankenberg, Ph.D., associate staff, Computational Life Sciences, is developing the model, called quantum hyperdimensional computing (QHDC).

Cumbo published the first-ever implementation of QHDC in two distinct experiments in npj Unconventional Computing.

Hyperdimensional computing (HDC) is a type of computing based in neuroscience. It follows the idea that a concept in the brain is not stored on one single neuron. For example, when you think of a cat, there is no single neuron in your brain solely responsible for knowing what a cat is. That information is spread across thousands or millions of neurons, so if one neuron fails, you still remember what a cat is.

Brain-inspired chip fuses vision, memory, and processing in real time

Team leader Professor Sumeet Walia said the goal was to remove the delay and energy cost of transferring data between separate systems. “We’ve made real-time decision making a possibility with our invention, because it doesn’t need to process large amounts of irrelevant data and it’s not being slowed down by data transfer to separate processors.”

The device also showed the ability to retain visual information for longer periods without frequent electrical refresh signals, which reduces energy use and improves efficiency.

First author and RMIT PhD researcher Aishani Mazumder said the system draws inspiration from how the brain processes information. “Neuromorphic vision systems are designed to use similar analog processing to the human brain, which can greatly reduce the amount of energy needed to perform complex visual tasks compared with today’s technologies.”

The Future of Neuroscience Is Growing and Reviving Human Brains

Further Reading.
Thumbnail image credit: Not alive, but not dead… FEATURED SCIENCE ARTICLE.
Brain background: Nexorg.
Brain organoid images: Elke Gabriel.

Not alive, but not dead: disembodied human brains used for drug testing.
https://www.science.org/content/artic…
Restoration of brain circulation and cellular functions hours.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30996…

Vascularizing organoids-on-chip for perfused and personalized models.
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/artic…

Startup Testing Drugs on Freshly Extracted Human Brains That Are Kept On Life Support.
https://futurism.com/health-medicine/.…

Cerebral organoids transplantation repairs infarcted cortex and restores impaired function after stroke https://www.nature.com/articles/s4153…

World First: Patient Receives High-Risk Therapy to Make Cells Young Again

An eagerly awaited and controversial clinical trial to ‘wind back the clock’ on aging cells in the eye and restore them to a more youthful state has officially begun.

This week, the United States biotechnology company Life Biosciences, Inc. announced that it had dosed its first patient with an experimental therapy designed to reverse age-related vision loss.

The ambitious idea is to turn back aging by activating three genes in retinal ganglion cells, which connect the brain to the eyes.

Brain-computer interface enables independent, accurate communication for man living with ALS

A new study demonstrates that a person with severe paralysis caused by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) can use a brain-computer interface (BCI) at home to communicate, work and interact with the digital world—without the need for researcher support. Published in Nature Medicine, the results mark a significant step toward delivering practical assistive technology for people with severe speech and motor impairments.

The BCI system was developed at UC Davis, in collaboration with colleagues at Brown University and Mass General Brigham Neuroscience Institute. It is equipped with advanced decoding algorithms that translate neural signals into text (speech BCI) and enable cursor control (movement BCI). It allows full interaction with a personal computer.

The brain-computer interface is designed to restore communication and computer control by decoding neural activity linked to attempted speech and movement. Although recent advances have achieved high accuracy in research settings, real-world adoption has been limited by two key challenges: independent at-home use and reliable long-term performance.

Clinician–scientists identify brain network linked to deadliest childhood brain cancer

A human brain network associated with survival in children with diffuse midline glioma (DMG), the deadliest childhood brain cancer, has been identified by UCL clinician-scientists, raising the possibility of entirely new treatment approaches. The researchers found that DMG tumors seem to exploit the brain’s existing neural circuitry to drive tumor growth and progression. Tumors that were more strongly connected to this network were associated with significantly shorter patient survival.

The study, published in Nature, builds on pioneering work in the field of cancer neuroscience, which shows that brain tumors, including DMG, dynamically interact with the otherwise healthy brain.

The study was led by Dr. Jai Sidpra and Dr. Valentina Lind, medical students enrolled in the MBPhD Program within the UCL Division of Medicine and senior author Professor Darren Hargrave’s group at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health.

Scientists Mapped Every Neuron in a Fruit Fly and the Brain Wasn’t Running the Show

Scientists have created the first complete brain-to-body wiring map of a fruit fly, revealing that complex behavior may arise from distributed neural teamwork rather than a central controller. A large international research team led by labs at Harvard Medical School and Princeton University has r

Slow breathing can influence brain activity and decision behavior

A new study from the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam–Rehbruecke (DIfE) and Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin shows for the first time that targeted control of human breathing rhythm can influence decision behavior by modulating heart and brain function. The research team led by Prof. Soyoung Q. Park was able to demonstrate that prolonged exhalation increases heart rate variability and the brain’s reward sensitivity, thus enabling us to make bolder decisions. The study was published in the journal Neuron.

Accelerated breathing and a rapid heart rate often lead to quick decision-making. Judgments under these circumstances can lead to more cautious decisions to minimize potential loss—whether it is making investments under time pressure, during a critical employee meeting or while quickly selecting a meal. In contrast, slow breathing and a calmer heart could presumably lead to assessing the situation more positively and making bolder decisions.

New studies suggest consciousness exists in organisms without brains

How does a physical system such as the brain produce the ineffable phenomenon of conscious experience? Philosopher David Chalmers famously named this the “Hard Problem of Consciousness” in 1995. Proponents argue that, while cognitive functions such as categorisation or information integration might be explained mechanistically in the central nervous system, the origins of subjective experience resist such explanation. Detractors suggest that the Hard Problem is merely a collection of lesser puzzles that have yet to be solved through greater material understanding of the brain.

The heart of this controversy may lie in its core premise: that consciousness arises from a neuronal system organized around a brain. The deep entrenchment of this preconception isn’t surprising, given that our own consciousness is the only one we have access to. But this “brain-centrism” pervades the cognitive sciences, shaping our understanding of other beings and approaches to research. It’s one of several kinds of scientific chauvinism that currently limit the field of enquiry and hamper our scientific approach to other kinds of minds.

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