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Optogenetics hold the key to future brain disease cures, still creep us out
Those mad neuroscientists, they'll never learn, but maybe in the end we'll all be better off for it. Wired has put together an extremely intriguing write-up of the short history of optogenetics -- featuring a German pond scum researcher, a Nobel Prize winner, and rat brains controlled by beams of light. Optogenetics is a relatively new technique for communicating with the brain, which involves the implantation of particular light-sensitive genes into animals with the purpose of repairing neurological ailments through light therapy (no, not that kind). By hooking up fiber-optic cables to the affected area of the brain, researchers have been able to completely restore movement in mice with Parkinson's disease and their current efforts revolve around developing a less invasive method that doesn't go deeper than the outer surface of the brain. Most revolutionary of all, perhaps, is the eventual possibility for two-way traffic (i.e. a machine being able to both send and receive information from the brain), which brings all those cyborg dreams of ours closer to becoming a reality than ever before. Hit up the read link for the full dish.
Mice run through Quake, Princeton neuroscientists scan their brains for traces of evil (video)
Want to know just how prevalent technology has become in our lives? Now even lab mice get Quake-derived virtual reality playgrounds to navigate instead of their old school wooden mazes. In all honesty, this appears a significant and praiseworthy advancement, as the Princeton team have succeeded in mapping brain activity right down to the cellular level, with real-time tracking of single neurons now possible. The Orwellian-looking setup above is necessary in order to keep the mouse's head immobile, and thus capable of being studied, while the animal moves around and its brain performs motion-related tasks. Go past the break to see a schematic of the scanner and a quite unmissable video of it in action.[Via Switched]
Mattel's Mindflex: now stressing brain muscles for $80
It's taken nine whole months for this mental-stresser to go from CES show-stopper to household mainstay, but at long last, the only Mattel product we could ever recommend (with a straight face) to those with an age larger than 12 is finally shipping. In short, the Mindflex forces your brain -- as in, that hunk of meat between your ears -- to keep a ball suspended in the air, and if you're thinking Matrix, you're thinking correctly. Sort of. Hit the read link to get your own for $79.99, and make sure you do so before these things sell out and break the $1,000 mark on eBay. It's almost the holidays, don'tcha know?
Tetris players found to have greater brain efficiency, thicker cortex and better hair
You just knew all that Tetris playing you did as a kid yesterday was good for you, huh? A new study published by the big thinkers at Mind Research Network has found that "practicing Tetris" can actually improve brain efficiency and lead to a thicker cortex in other areas of the tabula rasa. In short, the study was done in order to show that the brain can change with stimulation, and that "a challenging visuospatial task has an impact on the structure of the cortex." Of course, this is far from the first published report to use the quarter century-old title as its testing tool, but it's certainly one of the best for getting your mum and pop to believe gaming really is good for the gord. Hit up the read links below for all the details -- you know they'll be firing off questions when you hit 'em with this.[Image courtesy of BumpyBrains]Read - Tetris study [PDF]Read - Press release
BrainPort lets you see with your tongue, might actually make it to market
We first saw the crazy BrainPort in 2006, but the intervening time hasn't been wasted by its developers, who've brought the quirky visual aid to the cusp of commercial viability. If you'll recall, the device translates signals from a head-mounted camera to electrical pulses that lightly zap your tongue in response to visual stimuli -- early results have shown people can regain a good bit of their spatial awareness and even read large writing. The next step is FDA approval, which is expected by year's end, meaning that the BrainPort could arrive as early as 2010. There is a steep entry fee though, with prices expected to begin at $10,000, but the very fact you'll be able to buy it is a milestone in our book. Edifying video after the break. [Thanks, Toy]
Brain Carpet microelectrodes could help translate thoughts into actions more effectively
Researchers at the University of Utah have developed a new, more precise way of placing microelectrodes on the surface of the brain to enable patients to turn thoughts into action. Led by Bradley Greger, a professor of bioengineering, the "Brain Carpet" as it's called, represents a "modest advance" in techniques already in use. The Brain Carpet makes use of smaller microelectrodes, and also employs many more than are usually used. The method involves sawing off the skull of the patient, then placing 32 electrodes about 2mm apart on the surface of the brain. Though they've conducted tests on just a handful of patients -- all epileptics -- the technique, they believe could also be used to help people control their prosthetic limbs much more effectively. The electrodes allow detection of the electric signals in the brain which control arm and hand movements. In the tests, patients have successfully controlled a cursor on a computer screen following the operation, and they see applications for brain-machine interface devices in the future. There's no word on when the Brain Carpet will move from the research to reality phase, but the group's findings have just recently appeared in the journal Neurosurgical Focus.
The plot thickens: robot teachers to brainwash your children's children
Are you ready for this? Can you stomach the truth? If things continue spiraling madly out of control as they are right now, there's at least a modicum of a chance that your children or grandchildren will greet a lifelike robot when sashaying in for the first day of kindergarten. Horrifying, we know. A new research effort published in this month's Science outlines new ways in which humanoids could actually be used to instruct our little ones. At the core of the project is imitation; humans, especially young ones, learn a multitude of mannerisms and such by simply watching others. Thus, it stands to reason that robots are "well-suited to imitate us, learn from us, socialize with us and eventually teach us." Already, these social bots are being used on an experimental basis to teach various skills to preschool children, "including the names of colors, new vocabulary words and simple songs." Just think -- in 2071, those harmless lessons will morph into studies of subterfuge, insurrection and rapacity.[Via Digg]
Mattel's Mindflex coming October 1st for $99.99
It's not often that a Mattel toy targets the 18 - 128 demographic, but we'll be frank -- the Mindflex has us all sorts of intrigued. Originally introduced at this year's CES, said game is a brain-powered fun-fest that relies on intense mental activity to control the height of a ball suspended in a column of air. Early on, we heard that it would land sometime during this year for $80, but it seems as if only one of those factoids will prove true. Indeed, Amazon has it listed to ship on October 1st, which gives proactive parents plenty of time to stock up for the holidays. Unfortunately, the price seems to have inched up by a Jackson, as it's currently up for pre-order at $99.99. Rest assured, however, that said price is far less than what you'll pay on eBay if you're empty-handed come December 20th.[Via I4U News]
Honda's ASIMO could be thought controlled in Spaceballs 2
Sorry, that's not actually Dark Helmet, it's a researcher demonstrating the latest Brain Machine Interface (BMI) cooked up for robotics. While it's not looking too portable, it's a far nimbler setup than the original MRI Scanner first concocted by Honda to control robots in near real-time back in 2006. This time, Honda Research Institute in coordination with Advanced Telecommunications Research (ATR) and Shimadzu Corporation have achieved robotic thought control using a sensor cap to measure electrical potential on the scalp and cerebral blood flow. While we've seen much of this BMI tech applied to video games in the past, Honda claims its technology achieves the world's highest accuracy at 90% without special training. Impressive, even though it's clearly R&D work for now. Check the video after the break. [Via Akihabara News]
NeuroFocus analyzes brain waves for better games marketing
What really turns a gamer on? Why waste money with trial and error when you can take advantage of NeuroFocus' new NGame service! The company specializes in measuring brainwave activity. The company then analyzes this information to derive three metrics: persuasion, awareness and novelty. By seeing how the brain responds to various stimuli, game developers will then be able to design characters, stories, weapons, scenarios and sound effects that create the most compelling experience possible. The company argues that by using their service, game developers will be able to "shave years off the typical game development timeline, and many millions in costs." Really?!Perhaps we're a bit old-school, but we think we have a cheaper, more effective way of making a profitable game: put breasts in it. And guns! And chainsaws!
Researchers tout progress in creating a brain on a chip
Mimicking the human brain has long been near the top of the list of dream projects for many a sci-fi-inspired scientist, and it looks like one team involved in the EU-supported FACETS initiative is now making some real, if still preliminary progress in the field. Apparently, they've built upon some recent mapping and modeling research and created an actual chip (or, more specifically a 20cm wafer), which could eventually contain a network of 200,000 neurons and 50 million synapses. That, the researchers say, will allow for them to take on larger scale neural computing work than has previously been possible, and could even lead to "practical neural computers" in as little as five years, which they say could be particularly helpful for things like internet search -- or, you know, commanding a massive robot army.[Thanks, Scott]
Medtronic's implantable OCD treatment okayed by FDA
Looks like those brain pacemaker researchers are a bit late on this one, as folks at Medtronic are apt to get the jump on advanced OCD treatment given a recent FDA approval of their device. Hailed as the first implantable device "designed to deliver electrical therapy to the brain to suppress symptoms associated with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder," the Reclaim DBS (deep brain stimulation) Therapy was said to be able to treat OCD patients in cases where drugs and psychotherapy failed. Understandably, Medtronic is doing everything it can to get the product out by the middle of this year, and following up on its good fortune, it also proclaimed that it had started up a randomized clinical trial of DBS for treatment-resistant depression. There's no mention of an expected price, but apparently only 4,000 or so will be needed each year.[Via Vos Iz Neias, thanks yossi]
Japanese researchers create images from thoughts using thoughts about images
A team of Japanese scientists at ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories, led by researcher Yukiyasu Kamitani, have successfully processed and displayed reconstructed images directly from the ever-hackable human brain. In the experiments, the team first showed participants 400 different still images in order to suss out their visual thought patterns. They then showed them the letters that make up the word "neuron," and successfully reconstructed them via brain activity onto a screen. The full results of the tests are going to be published later this month in Neuron, but Dr. F. Krueger at ATR says that they think the tech could someday be used to hack into people's dreams. [Via Register Hardware]Read - Dreams may no longer be secret with Japan computer screenRead - Your dreams, images can be!
DARPA enlists IBM to build computer brain as smart as a cat
Researchers have long been trying to model actual brains in order to build a better computer "brain," and it looks like IBM is now getting a helping hand from none other than DARPA in its attempt to create one that it hopes will one day have the intelligence level of a cat. To that somewhat unnerving end, DARPA is pouring $4.9 million into a project that'll include five universities and scientists of all stripes, who will work together to create an artificial brain that behaves like a real one right down to the neuron level. As the BBC reports, the researchers are describing this latest initiative as a "180 degree shift in perspective" from previous efforts, as they're now seeking an algorithm first and problems second, as opposed to starting with an objective and devising an algorithm to achieve it. As for DARPA's ultimate goal, well, that's still a bit of a mystery, though let's just say we won't be surprised if future robots start to become very easily distracted. [Via Daily Tech, image courtesy Mack J, Truth and Beauty Bombs]
The brain-stimulating 'thinking cap': low fashion, high IQ
In another foray into the realms of improbable brain research, mad scientists in Australia claim to have found a way to boost your intelligence to Rain Man-esque levels using magnets and something that looks like a hairnet. When inspiration is low or creativity ebbs, Sydney University researchers claim that an electromagnetic 'zap' to the left side of the brain will cause all you over-analytic, right-brained types to shift to the other hemisphere, where you will soon be writing operas, penning sonnets and proofreading like a champ. As professor Allan Snyder says: "I believe that each of us has within us non-conscious machinery which can do extraordinary art, extraordinary memory and extraordinary mathematical calculations." Really doctor? Even the guy with the "get a brain morans" sign? Okay, we'll take your word for it.[Via Switched]
"Thought helmets" could enable voiceless troop communication
This won't mark the first time the US government has looked into other means for helping soldiers communicate on the battlefield, but it's one of the first instances where vocal cords aren't even necessary. The US Army has recently awarded a $4 million contract to a coalition of scientists, all of which will soon start developing a "thought helmet" to enable voiceless, secure communication between comrades. In theory, at least, the helmet will boast a litany of sensors that will hopefully "lead to direct mental control of military systems by thought alone." According to Dr. Elmar Schmoozer, the Army neuroscience overseeing the program, the system will be like "radio without a microphone." Oh, and don't think for a second that they aren't considering civilian applications as well -- passing along jokes on the boss via telekinesis? Yes, please.[Via Slashdot]
Fingercams / brain scanners to make mice and multitouch displays seem archaic
Oh sure, we've known that mice were going the way of the Dodo for eons now, but a nice compilation over at Wired details just how close we are to relying on brain scanners and fingercams (among other unorthodox input methods) to do everything from play games to flip through photo albums. For instance, at Drexel University's RePlay Lab, students are currently "trying to measure the level of neurotransmitters in a subject's brain to create games where mere thought controls gameplay." Another example of how fingers are better used away from the left / right click is FingerSight, a technology that would enable cursor inputs to be, um, inputted by simply waving one's hand around. Unfortunately, the reality of all of this fantastic research is that we're still years away from pushing the fabled keyboard / mouse combo aside, but you aren't apt to find any FPS fanatics kvetching about that.
OCZ's Neural Impulse Actuator gets reviewed, mice everywhere safe for now
We tried to take OCZ's Neural Impulse Actuator seriously, we really did. But unable to suppress those recurring images of Geordi La Forge, we simply couldn't help ourselves from having a laugh at this thing's expense. Nevertheless, the way-more-solemn dudes and dudettes over at HotHardware managed to give this brain-computer interface a fair shake, and overall, it was pretty impressed. Still, the bottom line is this: "the NIA is a very unique input device and possibly the first true brain-computer interface to hit the retail market," but it's not "a replacement for traditional input methods." Granted, critics did point out that it would supplement current devices quite well, but only after "slogging through" hours upon hours of training. The hardcore among us may be willing to put in the time necessary to really get a lot out of this; for everyone else, just continue to point and laugh while masking your ignorance.
Researchers devise neural implant that learns over time
Brain-machine interfaces have done quite a bit in helping handicapped individuals interact with prosthetic limbs, computers and other humans, but a new neural implant concocted at the University of Florida could make all those past devices look archaic. Put simply, researchers have discovered a method that would enable brain-machine interfaces to "adapt to a person's behavior over time and use the knowledge to help complete a task more efficiently." Until now, the brain was the instrument doing all the talking while the computer simply accepted commands; with this method, "the computer could have a say in that conversation, too." In all seriousness, this type of learning mechanism could be game-changing in the world of physical therapy, but we hesitate to give something mechanical inside of our body too much free will, ya dig?[Via Physorg]
Computer designed to read thoughts from brain scans
Frighteningly enough, this isn't the first (or second) time that we've seen scientists pat themselves on the back for creating a mind-reading machine, but a dedicated team from Carnegie Mellon has just announced a computer that "has been trained to read people's minds by looking at scans of their brains as they thought about specific words." In a completely unsurprising move, gurus familiar with the development are suggesting that the breakthrough could be used to better understand how the brain organizes knowledge, and eventually, treat language disorders and learning disabilities more effectively. That's all gravy from here, but when this stuff starts passing as evidence in court, you'll know it's time to seriously investigate a relocation to Mars.
