Brain complexity: study difficulties (Introduction)

by David Turell , Wednesday, November 04, 2015, 21:52 (3307 days ago) @ David Turell

The brain is so complex that implanted electrodes can only tell a tiny bit about it:-http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientific-american-mind-reviews-the-brain-electric/?WT.mc_id=SA_MB_20151104-"Gay takes us step by gruesome step through procedure after procedure in which cocksure docs breach skulls and implant arrays of electrodes into the brains of rats, monkeys, and paralyzed and epileptic humans in brazen attempts to get neurons communicating meaningfully with computers. Occasionally there is a breakthrough: a paraplegic woman thinks a robot arm to feed herself; a monkey whose arms and hands are restrained plays a video game; the brains of two rats are linked in a way that gets the actions of one to affect the actions of the other.-"So amazing, so promising—and so frustratingly primitive. The brain has 100 billion neurons, but even the most sophisticated implants can monitor only a few hundred. Within weeks or months the immune system invariably attacks the implanted electrodes, rendering many of them useless, and the brain changes so rapidly that connections often have to be recalibrated daily to keep them working properly. There are no cures, no miracles—only suggestive demonstrations, foretelling—who knows, really? (my bold)-"The book ends with a sobering reminder of just how rudimentary present-day brain science is. Gay quotes Schwartz: “We have no idea what makes a neuron fire…, and that's at the root of everything.” But you have to start somewhere, right?"-Comment: When we do not know much about neurons, such as how it decides to trigger a current, we are not very far along in understanding the brain, and the brain changes day by day. And how does a committee of intelligent cells plan all this in advance of the construction of the very first brains seen throughout the Cambrian with no precursors to try experimental approaches? Only an existing mind an plan such an organ.