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Technology Prediction: We can use Memory-boosting implants in our brains to convert short-term into long-term memories
Memory loss seems to be inescapable. But one maverick neuroscientist is working hard on an electronic cure. Funded by DARPA, Dr. Theodore Berger, a biomedical engineer at the University of Southern California, is testing a memory-boosting implant that mimics the kind of signal processing that occurs when neurons are laying down new long-term memories.
The revolutionary implant, already shown to help memory encoding in rats and monkeys, is now being tested in human patients with epilepsy — an exciting first that may blow the field of memory prosthetics wide open.
To get here, however, the team first had to crack the memory code.
Deciphering Memory
From the very onset, Berger knew he was facing a behemoth of a problem.
We weren’t looking to match everything the brain does when it processes memory, but to at least come up with a decent mimic, said Berger.
“Of course people asked: can you model it and put it into a device? Can you get that device to work in any brain? It’s those things that lead people to think I’m crazy. They think it’s too hard,” he said.
But the team had a solid place to start.
The hippocampus, a region buried deep within the folds and grooves of the brain, is the critical gatekeeper that transforms memories from short-lived to long-term. In dogged pursuit, Berger spent most of the last 35 years trying to understand how neurons in the hippocampus accomplish this complicated feat.
At its heart, a memory is a series of electrical pulses that occur over time that are generated by a given number of neurons, said Berger. This is important — it suggests that we can reduce it to mathematical equations and put it into a computational framework, he said.
Berger hasn’t been alone in his quest.
By listening to the chatter of neurons as an animal learns, teams of neuroscientists have begun to decipher the flow of information within the hippocampus that supports memory encoding. Key to this process is a strong electrical signal that travels from CA3, the “input” part of the hippocampus, to CA1, the “output” node.
This signal is impaired in people with memory disabilities, said Berger, so of course we thought if we could recreate it using silicon, we might be able to restore — or even boost — memory.
A Human Memory Implant
Last year, the team cautiously began testing their memory implant prototype in human volunteers.
Because of the risks associated with brain surgery, the team recruited 12 patients with epilepsy, who already have electrodes implanted into their brain to track down the source of their seizures.
Repeated seizures steadily destroy critical parts of the hippocampus needed for long-term memory formation, explained Berger. So if the implant works, it could benefit these patients as well.
The team asked the volunteers to look through a series of pictures, and then recall which ones they had seen 90 seconds later. As the participants learned, the team recorded the firing patterns in both CA1 and CA3 — that is, the input and output nodes.
Using these data, the team extracted an algorithm — a specific human “memory code” — that could predict the pattern of activity in CA1 cells based on CA3 input. Compared to the brain’s actual firing patterns, the algorithm generated correct predictions roughly 80% of the time.
It’s not perfect, said Berger, but it’s a good start.
Using this algorithm, the researchers have begun to stimulate the output cells with an approximation of the transformed input signal.
We have already used the pattern to zap the brain of one woman with epilepsy, said Dr. Dong Song, an associate professor working with Berger. But he remained coy about the result, only saying that although promising, it’s still too early to tell.
Song’s caution is warranted. Unlike the motor cortex, with its clear structured representation of different body parts, the hippocampus is not organized in any obvious way.
It’s hard to understand why stimulating input locations can lead to predictable results, said Dr. Thoman McHugh, a neuroscientist at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute. It’s also difficult to tell whether such an implant could save the memory of those who suffer from damage to the output node of the hippocampus.
“That said, the data is convincing,” McHugh acknowledged.
Berger, on the other hand, is ecstatic. “I never thought I’d see this go into humans,” he said.
But the work is far from done. Within the next few years, Berger wants to see whether the chip can help build long-term memories in a variety of different situations. After all, the algorithm was based on the team’s recordings of one specific task — what if the so-called memory code is not generalizable, instead varying based on the type of input that it receives?
Berger acknowledges that it’s a possibility, but he remains hopeful.
I do think that we will find a model that’s a pretty good fit for most conditions, he said. After all, the brain is restricted by its own biophysics — there’s only so many ways that electrical signals in the hippocampus can be processed, he said.
“The goal is to improve the quality of life for somebody who has a severe memory deficit,” said Berger. “If I can give them the ability to form new long-term memories for half the conditions that most people live in, I’ll be happy as hell, and so will be most patients.”
Source: http://singularityhub.com/
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Technology Prediction: We can use Memory-boosting implants in our brains to convert short-term into long-term memories
The hippocampus, a region buried deep within the folds and grooves of the brain, is the critical gatekeeper that transforms memories from short-lived to long-term. In dogged pursuit, Dr. Theodore Berger spent most of the last 35 years trying to understand how neurons in the hippocampus accomplish this complicated feat. At its heart, a memory is a series of electrical pulses that occur over time that are generated by a given number of neurons, said Berger. This is important — it suggests that we can reduce it to mathematical equations and put it into a computational framework.
Planning your ski trip this winter? St. Moritz, Verbier, Aspen? You can now add the desert kingdom Dubai to your list. This week plans were announced to build the world’s longest indoor ski slope, part of a larger construction project, that when completed, will house the world’s tallest building and the largest ‘dancing’ fountain.
Plans for the Meydan One complex, which will include the 1.2km slope, were announced on Monday by his Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The project will cover over 40 million square feet and is estimated to cost $6.8 billion to build. Its date for completion is 2020.
Meydan One will also feature a shopping mall, the 711m tower comprising office blocks apartments and shops, a civic plaza, 4km canal and a marina with 100 yacht berths.
Already boasting an indoor ski centre which runs year round, (despite the summer temperatures which can top 45°c/113°F), it is not the largest in the world, this means competition for the world record hungry UAE. The proposed snow sports arena will flatten the current record holder, the Alpincenter in Germany. At 640m it will be little over half the length of Dubai’s.
“This development is a forward thinking, interactive enterprise geared towards the Dubai of tomorrow. The encouragement and support we have received in the past from our trusted partners will now help the Meydan One development come to life. The first phase will be completed as Dubai prepares to host the World Expo 2020,” said Saeed Humaid Al Tayer, Meydan’s Chairman.
Source: http://www.luxos.com/
Dubai to build the world's largest ski slope in the Meydan One complex
As if the world's tallest building, biggest shopping mall and largest man-made island weren't enough. Dubai will soon have another record breaker: a 1.2km ski slope. It will be constructed as part of Meydan One complex, which will cover over 40 million square feet and is estimated to cost $6.8 billion to build. The project will also feature a shopping mall, the 711m tower comprising office blocks apartments and shops, a civic plaza, 4km canal and a marina with 100 yacht berths.
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Testing
AKIRA (1988) prediction: A Psychic esper unlocks Powerful Destructive abilities of his mind during the Olympic Games in Neo-Tokyo
In July 1988, a massive explosion annihilates Tokyo, sparking World War III. By 2019, a year before the XXXII Olympics, Japan suffers a crime wave and government corruption, especially in the rebuilt "Neo-Tokyo". One night, during massive protests, hot-headed Shōtarō Kaneda leads his bōsōzoku gang, the Capsules, against their rivals, the Clowns. During the brawl, Kaneda's best friend, quiet Tetsuo Shima, is seriously injured when he runs into Takashi, a psychic esper who has escaped from a secret government laboratory with the help of a resistance organization. Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) Colonel Shikishima, assisted by esper Masaru, escorts Takashi home and hospitalizes Tetsuo. Later, as Kaneda and his gang are interrogated by the police, he spots Kei, an activist belonging to the resistance movement, and tricks the authorities into releasing her along with his gang, taking an interest in her.
Shikishima and Doctor Ōnishi discover that Tetsuo possesses powerful psychic abilities similar to Akira, the esper responsible for causing Tokyo's destruction. Meanwhile, Takashi's fellow esper, Kiyoko, reveals Neo-Tokyo's impending destruction to Shikishima, who proposes killing Tetsuo to prevent this, but Neo-Tokyo's parliament dismisses his concerns. Returning from the hospital, Tetsuo steals Kaneda's motorcycle accompanied by his girlfriend Kaori, but the Clowns attack them before the Capsules intervene. Tetsuo suffers headaches and hallucinations during the attack, and he is once again hospitalized. Seeking answers about what has happened to his friend, Kaneda rescues Kei and joins the rebels after overhearing their plan to capture Tetsuo. At the hospital, the espers unsuccessfully attempt to kill Tetsuo, and he fights back with his newfound psychokinetic powers to confront them. Kaneda, Kei, and Shikishima converge on the espers' quarters to stop Tetsuo, turning him egomaniacal and unstable. He overpowers them and escapes after learning from Kiyoko that he can gain help from Akira, located in cryonic storage beneath the Olympic Stadium's construction site.
Using Kei as a medium, Kiyoko helps her and Kaneda to escape to stop Tetsuo, while Shikishima stages a coup d'état against the corrupt parliament and orders the JSDF to kill Tetsuo. Returning to the local bar for some pills, Tetsuo ambushes his former friends, Yamagata and Kai, after they arrive, killing the former in the process; Kaneda vows to avenge Yamagata. Tetsuo travels through Neo-Tokyo, wiping out Shikishima's forces, and eventually arriving at Akira's cryogenic storage dewar in the stadium. Kiyoko has Kei fight Tetsuo, but he easily defeats her and exhumes Akira's remains: dissected, and preserved for future studies. Using a laser rifle, Kaneda fights Tetsuo in a duel; meanwhile, Shikishima fires an orbital weapon at him but is unsuccessful. After Tetsuo destroys the satellite, he psychically builds a prosthetic arm to replace the one he lost.
Shikishima and Kaori separately approach the stadium, where Tetsuo is in immense pain. Shikishima offers Tetsuo the espers' drugs to control his abilities, while Kaori attempts to calm Tetsuo down. However, Kaneda arrives and duels with Tetsuo yet again. Losing control of his powers, Tetsuo mutates into a gigantic mass consuming all matter, engulfing Kaneda and killing Kaori. The mass continues to grow, and the espers awaken Akira. After reuniting with his friends, Akira creates a singularity that draws Tetsuo and Kaneda into another dimension. The espers teleport Shikishima to a safe distance as the singularity destroys Neo-Tokyo in a mirror of Tokyo's destruction, and three agree to help rescue Kaneda, knowing they will not be able to return to this dimension.
In the singularity, Kaneda experiences Tetsuo's and the espers' childhood, including how much Tetsuo trusted Kaneda and how the children were trained and altered before Tokyo's destruction. The espers appear and return Kaneda to his world, informing him that Akira will take Tetsuo to safety and that Kei is developing psychic powers. The singularity suddenly disappears and water floods the city's remains. In the aftermath, Kaneda discovers that Kei and Kai have survived, and they drive off into the ruins, while Shikishima watches the sunrise. Finally in control of his powers, Tetsuo triggers a big bang in an alternate universe.
Wiki Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akira_(1988_film)
AKIRA website: http://www.akira2019.com/
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Owner: Kaneda
Future,
three years from now I'll be 14 years old, almost fifteen. I want to be very smart, have more subscribers on my youtube channel hahaha. Wow, my brother will be a lot older :( about 7 years old. I want to have gone to Canada to visit my aunt. A new cell phone, a new computer ...
I think it's over, see you in the future.
Bye Bye
AKIRA (1988) prediction: A Psychic esper unlocks Powerful Destructive abilities of his mind during the Olympic Games in Neo-Tokyo
By 2019, a year before the XXXII Olympics, Japan suffers a crime wave and government corruption, especially in the rebuilt "Neo-Tokyo". One night, during massive protests, hot-headed Shōtarō Kaneda leads his bōsōzoku gang, the Capsules, against their rivals, the Clowns. During the brawl, Kaneda's best friend, quiet Tetsuo Shima, is seriously injured when he runs into Takashi, a psychic esper who has escaped from a secret government laboratory with the help of a resistance organization.
The Online Time Capsule