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Can brain functions be computed?
People are getting excited this month on the more-than-century-old debate about whether or not the brain is computable – whether we could make a computer or machine that simulates it. The recent...
View ArticleNEURO.tv Episode 3 – Mind, Brain, Computations and Ion channels.
In this episode, we talk about neural simulation, the relation between the mind and the brain, ion channels that make neurons excitable and neuroscience research in fly larvae. Participants are Erin...
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NEURO.tv Episode 4 – The Evolution of the Synapse.
In this episode, we look at the extraordinary evolutionary history of the genes related to the synapse which were present even before the evolution of neurons. Our guest is Kenneth S. Kosik from UCSB....
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From Mind to Movement.
Ted Chiang, one of science fiction’s preeminent writers, once imagined an interesting fictional device in his short story, “What’s expected of us”. Without fail, a device called a Predictor flashes a...
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NEURO.tv Episode 5 – Grid cells and navigation
In this episode, we talk about grid cells and place cells. These fascinating neurons process information that relate to where an animal is located in space. They are believed to play important roles in...
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How Neurons May Program Changes of Direction During Locomotion
Before I started doing research on social interactions, I worked on the control of locomotor movements and respiration in an aquatic animal, the lamprey. One of the questions that always intrigued me...
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Where Do Brains Come From? Part I: Secret Origins
Somewhere between single-celled organisms and human beings, brains evolved. Just why and how is still shrouded in mystery. The human brain is said to be among the most complex organizations of matter...
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NEURO.tv Episode 10 – Parkinson’s disease and the basal ganglia.
What are the brain changes that cause Parkinson’s disease? In this special episode, Steven Miller traveled to Japan to discuss the current research on this subject with Professor Gordon Arbuthnott from...
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The rhythm of lobster season
Today is the second and last day of “mini-season” here in South Florida. That is, the last Wednesday and Thursday of July where Florida lobsters are available for the taking by non-commercial lobster...
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Funding Research with Ice Buckets and Coffee Money
The cost of sustaining vital research on brain diseases may be more than we’re willing to pay, but less than we imagine. By now, you’ve likely either participated in the ALS ice bucket challenge or you...
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The gauntlet has been thrown
On the second day of classes, I polled my students to find out how many had taken the #ALSIceBucketChallenge. About half of them raised their hands; the other half looking on either smugly (they hadn’t...
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Big Brains/Little Brain: Whale Brains Provide Clues to Cognition
The size of the cerebellum of whales gives clues to higher level cognition. Photo by the author. A fascinating report on NPR by science correspondent Jonathan Hamilton yesterday (March 16, 2015) tells...
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Brain Mechanisms of Skill Learning
Think of a skill you have, something that took practice, but now feels easy. Perhaps it’s serving in tennis, or a new dance step, or juggling — something I used to be able to do. (click image for...
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Tracking Dinosaur Intelligence: What Fossil Footprints Reveal about the...
Displaying the sleuthing skills of Sherlock Holmes, Jerry Harris carefully tracks the footprints to a point where they disintegrate into a muddle of scratches. He vividly deduces what...
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Olympic Gold for Brainwave Performance
Whether or not a competitor stands on the podium wearing an Olympic metal can depend on a thousandth of a second difference in finishing time. Greater physical performance may not be what separate...
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