Brain Observatory

[HAL 9000 96]

http://thebrainobservatory.ucsd.edu/hm_live.php

This is a live feed. Those of you that have taken a psych or neuro course that dealt with memory disorders should remember Patient HM. His brain is currently being sectioned and you can view lab personnel living it up on government funds too.

[Niels Bohr 72]

http://thebrainobservatory.ucsd.edu/hm_live.php

This is a live feed. Those of you that have taken a psych or neuro course that dealt with memory disorders should remember Patient HM. His brain is currently being sectioned and you can view lab personnel living it up on government funds too.

For some reason, I can't seem to get a view.

[Niels Bohr 72]

I see it now. Fascinating! Will help me with building a brain computer interface one day.

[HAL 9000 96]

You might also try at the Neurosciences site at UCSD: http://neurosciences.ucsd.edu/

(the video is literally a live stream. Just looked now and its working. You may have a filter on or there may be excess hits on the sites when you are viewing.)

They're still fairly anterior... and they've been at it literally for HOURS today, so I think they'll be done sometime tomorrow depending on the thickness of the sections. I think they were 70 microns (µm).

I see it now. Fascinating! Will help me with building a brain computer interface one day.

I've cultured neurons on microcircuits. Very cool recording neurotransmitter release upon signal passage on the circuit.

[Niels Bohr 72]

How do you keep the neurons alive? Submerge it in argor (whatever you call the fluid)?

Edited December 4, 2009 by Niels Bohr

[HAL 9000 96]

How do you keep the neurons alive? Submerge it in argor (whatever you call the fluid)?

Agar? Noooooooo!

The circuits would be initially treated in an amino-acid solution that was positively charged to attract the MANY negatively charged membrane proteins on the dissociated embryonic neurons. Then they'd have serum-supplemented cell culture medium. You can keep neurons going for weeks if you're careful with contamination.

[Niels Bohr 72]

I see. It's just a simple circuit. Using a brain to build a circuit is too costly. Don't know if it can actually run stuff.

Actually, it seems that this circuit looks more like a battery with the negative and positive wired up together.

[HAL 9000 96]

I see. It's just a simple circuit. Using a brain to build a circuit is too costly. Don't know if it can actually run stuff.

Actually, it seems that this circuit looks more like a battery with the negative and positive wired up together.

Pretty much. A human brain has anywhere between 2-3 and tens of billions of neurons. You can figure out what kind of folks run around with 2-3 neurons 'up there.'

For one to build an actual brain/machine interphase you're basically talking about having each and every single neuronal circuit mapped out in a machine version that you could use to substitute certain brain areas if need be. And for that kind of effort... sure why not? But one really can't predict what areas one would need to have ready... so the task becomes pretty daunting. Unless the goal is to build a machine brain that is a parallel to a human one...

Right now many lab robots can operate with simpler, 'central pattern generator' brains that have embedded neurons like I've cultured or with cybernetic ones. Think little itty bitty Cylon brains.

I am fascinated by nervious system-cybernetic interphases... as in increasing prosthetic range of motion or in creating robot hands that are controlled by the nerves that control hand muscles. As in Luke Skywalker's robotic hand in Star Wars. Sounds far off but medical science already has the ability to do this and they are in the early stages of hooking patients up like this, just not with life-like robotics just yet.