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Category: neuroscience – Page 567

Certain tasks—such as recognizing patterns and language—are performed highly efficiently by a human brain, requiring only about one ten-thousandth of the energy of a conventional, so-called “von Neumann” computer. One of the reasons lies in the structural differences: In a von Neumann architecture, there is a clear separation between memory and processor, which requires constant moving of large amounts of data. This is time-and energy-consuming—the so-called von Neumann bottleneck. In the brain, the computational operation takes place directly in the data memory and the biological synapses perform the tasks of memory and processor at the same time.

In Forschungszentrum Jülich, scientists have been working for more than 15 years on special data storage devices and components that can have similar properties to the synapses in the human brain. So-called memristive memory devices, also known as , are considered to be extremely fast and energy-saving, and can be miniaturized very well down to the nanometer range. The functioning of memristive cells is based on a very special effect: Their electrical resistance is not constant, but can be changed and reset again by applying an external voltage, theoretically continuously. The change in resistance is controlled by the movement of oxygen ions. If these move out of the semiconducting metal oxide layer, the material becomes more conductive and the electrical resistance drops. This change in resistance can be used to store information.

The processes that can occur in cells are complex and vary depending on the material system. Three researchers from the Jülich Peter Grünberg Institute—Prof. Regina Dittmann, Dr. Stephan Menzel, and Prof. Rainer Waser—have therefore compiled their research results in a detailed review article, “Nanoionic memristive phenomena in metal oxides: the valence change mechanism.” They explain in detail the various physical and chemical effects in memristors and shed light on the influence of these effects on the switching properties of memristive cells and their reliability.

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A team of researchers in the Faculty of Engineering of The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has developed a coin-sized system that can read weak electrochemical signals and can be used for personalized health monitoring and the measurement of such conditions as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and mental health. The discovery was featured on the cover of Analytical Chemistry.

The PERfECT System—an acronym for Personalized Electronic Reader for Electrochemical Transistors—is the world’s smallest system of its kind, measuring 1.5 cm x 1.5 cm x 0.2 cm and weighing only 0.4 gram. It is easily wearable, for instance integrated with a smartwatch or as a patch, to allow for continuous monitoring of biosignals such as glucose levels and antibody concentrations in blood and even sweat.

“Our wearable system is tiny, soft and imperceptible to wearers, and it can do continuous monitoring of our body condition. These features mean it has the potential to revolutionize health care technology,” said Dr. Shiming Zhang of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, who leads the HKU WISE (wearable, intelligent and ) Research Group to develop the system.

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A University of Minnesota Twin Cities-led team has found that electrical stimulation of the body combined with sound activates the brain’s somatosensory or “tactile” cortex, increasing the potential for using the technique to treat chronic pain and other sensory disorders. The researchers tested the non-invasive technique on animals and are planning clinical trials on humans in the near future.

The paper is published in the Journal of Neural Engineering, a highly regarded, peer-reviewed scientific journal for the interdisciplinary field of neural engineering.

During the experiments, the researchers played broadband sound while electrically stimulating different parts of the body in guinea pigs. They found that the combination of the two activated neurons in the brain’s somatosensory cortex, which is responsible for touch and pain sensations throughout the body.

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Over the past few decades, computers have seen dramatic progress in processing power; however, even the most advanced computers are relatively rudimentary in comparison with the complexities and capabilities of the human brain.

Researchers at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Army Research Laboratory say this may be changing as they endeavor to design computers inspired by the human brain’s neural structure.

As part of a collaboration with Lehigh University, Army researchers have identified a design strategy for the development of neuromorphic materials.

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New research published in Experimental Neurology provides some initial evidence that the psychedelic substance known as LSD has nootropic properties. The study found that LSD increased markers of neuroplasticity in human brain organoids, increased novelty preference in rats, and improved memory performance in humans.

When combined with psychotherapy, psychedelic drugs have shown promise in the treatment of psychiatric conditions such as depression, PTSD, and addiction. But the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the therapeutic effects of psychedelics remains unclear.

Some research has indicated that psychedelic substances produce positive impacts, in part, because they promote neurogenesis and neuroplasticity. The authors of the new study were interested in better understanding whether the neuroplasticity induced by psychedelics could be harnessed to enhance learning and memory.

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Deep dive into the nature of consciousness and reality.

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Subreddit r/TheoriesOfEverything: https://reddit.com/r/theoriesofeverything.
Merch: https://tinyurl.com/TOEmerch.

LINKS MENTIONED:
–QBism Paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/1003.5209
–Donald Hoffman’s book The Case Against Reality (affiliate): https://amzn.to/34eWmxz.
–Plato and the Nerd (affiliate): https://amzn.to/34GMexr.

TIMESTAMPS:
00:00:00 Introduction.
00:03:34 Is a Theory of Everything possible? / Definition of Consciousness.
00:08:32 Spacetime’s fundamental nature (or not)
00:14:27 Joscha Bach on mysterianism, telepathy, and consciousness.
00:34:40 Joscha has a way of interpreting the Bible literally.
00:42:01 Physical world vs Computational world.
00:57:57 On Gödel and changing the definition of truth to provable / computable.
01:12:33 What parts of the mind makes statements beyond computation?
01:13:57 Real numbers don’t exist?
01:15:23 [Prof. Edward Lee] Reality is not necessarily algorithmic.
01:34:02 Donald Hoffman on Free Will.
01:44:03 Joscha Bach on Free Will and whether a TOE exists.
01:57:10 What would change in Bach’s model if classical logic was correct?
02:07:42 Penrose and Lucas argument regarding Gödel and the mind.
02:13:55 Closing thoughts from Bach and Hoffman on each other’s work.

Just wrapped (April 2021) a documentary called Better Left Unsaid http://betterleftunsaidfilm.com on the topic of “when does the left go too far?” Visit that site if you’d like to watch it.

Continue reading “Donald Hoffman Λ Joscha Bach on Consciousness, Free Will, and Gödel [Theolocution]” | >

Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have discovered a new family of molecules that enable cells to repair damaged components, making it possible for those tissues to retain proper function. The efficacy of the molecules was demonstrated on a model organism – the C. elegans roundworm. The research team examined the effect of various therapies on longevity and quality of life, and successfully showed they can protect the worm and human cells from damage.

The researchers, led by Professors Einav Gross and Shmuel Ben-Sasson, have founded a company called Vitalunga to advance the research and translate it into therapeutics.

Longevity. Technology: A major factor in aging tissues is the reduced effectiveness of our cell’s quality-control mechanism, which leads to the accumulation of defective mitochondria – the cellular ‘power plants’ responsible for energy production. Mitochondria can be compared to tiny electric batteries that help cells function properly. Although these ‘batteries’ wear out constantly, our cells have a sophisticated mechanism called mitophagy that removes defective mitochondria and replaces them with new ones. However, this mechanism declines with age, leading to cell dysfunction and deterioration in tissue activity, and is implicated in many age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, heart failure and sarcopenia.

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Being bilingual slows down the negative effects of aging on the brain.

Our brains start slowing down in their once-magical abilities after a certain age.

Scientists have been finding out is that there are methods that can slow down the aging of the brain.

An experimental study has shown that being bilingual slows down the brain’s aging process.

Many of us know from personal experience that our brains start slowing down in their once-magical abilities after a certain point. You can’t remember certain things quite as well, and some calculations start taking longer. It’s a normal part of the “cognitive aging” that scientists have observed in humans. This aging happens at different rates in different people, based on each person’s so-called Cognitive Reserve. Some people may see few changes late in their years, while others may develop serious illnesses that affect their brain’s functions. As some areas of the brain experience changes in grey and white matter, cases of dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases tend to grow with age.

Full Story:

Continue reading “Want to protect your brain from aging? Learn another language” | >

According to the theory, all that’s needed to solve the hard problem of consciousness is to change our assumptions about it. When we realize that consciousness is a physical, relativistic phenomenon, the mystery of consciousness naturally dissolves.

How do 3 pounds of brain tissue create thoughts, feelings, mental images, and a detailed inner world?

The ability of the brain to create consciousness has baffled people for millennia. The mystery of consciousness lies in the fact that each of us has subjectivity, with the ability to sense, feel, and think. In contrast to being under anesthesia or in a dreamless deep sleep, while we’re awake we don’t “live in the dark” — we experience the world and ourselves. However, it remains a mystery how the brain creates the conscious experience and what area of the brain is responsible.

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