MIT senior, Christina Tringides, holds a sample of the multifunction fiber.
MIT researchers reveal an interface that could make plugging our brain into a computer a reality. Their system uses new fibers less than a width of a hair that could deliver optical signals and drugs directly into the brain, along with electrical readouts to continuously monitor the effects of the various inputs.
Nasal spray could improve memory in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
A new study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease found that an insulin nasal spray can improve cognitive function in those with Alzheimer’s disease and normal age-related memory problems. The study involved 60 adults who had normal age-related memory problems or mild to moderate Alzheimer’s (Claxton et al., 2015).
Continue reading… “Study finds nasal spray effective treatment for Alzheimer’s and memory loss”
The goal of the research was to focus on the target frequencies while ignoring the distractor frequencies.
As we get older, we have an increasingly harder time ignoring distractions. According to new research in the Cell Press journal Neuron, by learning to discriminate a sound amidst progressively more disruptive distractions, we can diminish our distractibility.
Continue reading… “Sound training can help an aging brain ignore distractions”
Futurist Thomas Frey: I’ve been closely watching the debate on artificial intelligence with people like Rodney Brooks saying it’s only a tool, and others like Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking giving bone chilling warnings of how it could lead to the destruction of all humanity.
tDCS
“Transcranial direct current stimulation” (tDCS) involves passing electricity through your head. The current is relatively weak, so it’s not like the electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) used to treat extreme depression in mental institutions; sometimes called “deep brain stimulation.”
Continue reading… “Deep brain stimulation beats out caffeine for boosting mental agility”
It is difficult reliably to distinguish different “disorders.”
By Peter Kinderman: The idea that our more distressing emotions such as grief and anger can best be understood as symptoms of physical illnesses is pervasive and seductive. But in my view it is also a myth, and a harmful one. Our present approach to helping vulnerable people in acute emotional distress is severely hampered by old-fashioned, inhumane and fundamentally unscientific ideas about the nature and origins of mental health problems. We need wholesale and radical change, not only in how we understand mental health problems, but also in how we design and commission mental health services.
Continue reading… “Why we need radical change in the disease-model of mental health”
Computers are improving at an exponential rate.
Futurists started predicting that in just a few decades machines would be as smart as humans soon after computers evolved in the 1940’s. Every year, the prediction seems to get pushed back another year. The consensus now is that it’s going to happen in … you guessed it, just a few more decades.
Continue reading… “Will robot brains catch up to human-level intelligence in 25 years?”
Paul J. Zak: It is quiet and dark. The theater is hushed. James Bond skirts along the edge of a building as his enemy takes aim. Here in the audience, heart rates increase and palms sweat. I know this to be true because instead of enjoying the movie myself, I am measuring the brain activity of a dozen viewers. For me, excitement has a different source: I am watching an amazing neural ballet in which a story line changes the activity of people’s brains.
Continue reading… “Good storytelling – why your brain loves it”
Brainform 3D printed brain.
Brainform is New Zealand-based company that will print a high quality 3D model of your brain. The company’s mission is simply stated on its website: “We 3D print brains.”
Continue reading… “Brainform will 3D print your brain”
Tweaking our genomes we could make humans drastically smarter.
Scientist Stephen Hsu’s theory is that genetically engineered human beings could have IQs of 1000 or higher. Hsu is something of a scientific polymath, who has done work pertaining to quantum physics, dark energy, finance, and information security, as well as genomics and bioinformatics, or the application of computer science and statistics to biological data. He officially holds the title of Vice-President for Research and Graduate Studies at Michigan State, where he is also a professor of Theoretical Physics.
Continue reading… “Genetically engineered humans could have IQ’s of 1,000”
About half of the educators surveyed believed that people only use 10% of their brains.
Surveys of teachers in the UK, Turkey, Holland, Greece and China have revealed that many believe seven common myths about the brain, likely because the simple explanations are often attractive, even if totally wrong. The results of the surveys were reported in the journal Nature Reviews Neuroscience.
Continue reading… “Top 7 neuromyths that many teachers believe”
This is the first time researchers have been able to reverse the memory loss caused by the disease.
The first time ever, huge lifestyle interventions seems to have reversed memory loss caused by Alzheimer’s disease in some patients.. The findings stemmed from the joint efforts of a team from UCLA’s Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research and the Buck Institute for Research on Aging.
Continue reading… “Memory loss from Alzheimer’s disease reversed with lifestyle changes”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.