Although exploratory neurosurgery in the field of primate neurocomputation sounds relatively simple, it has, in fact, proven exceedingly difficult for a very long time.
For years, neuroscientists and brainiacs the world over have worked diligently to develop various cognitive models in primates as a stepping stone to great medical and technological advancements for mankind.
As recently as last week, scientists at Duke University successfully created a system in which a macaque monkey moved a robotic arm in a separate room simply by thinking about it.And you thought all they were doing at Duke was developing a system where Coach Krzyzewski controlled refs simply by thinking about it.
But those magnificent Dukies did it for real this time.And how they did it was quite brilliant.Basically, Dr. Miguel Nicolelis and his team of scientists connected a couple of monkey's brains to computers by using tiny electrodes.
They inserted the electrodes into the parietal and frontal cortical areas of the brain as a result of what they learned from previous studies in upper limb functioning.
Through the course of the study, monkeys learned how to make the robotic arm reach and grasp by manipulating a joystick.As they moved the joysticks the computer recorded their neuronal activity, and quantitatively compared the contributions and changes in neuronal firing of specific parts of the brain.
Once the manipulation was mastered, the scientists inactivated the joysticks to determine the monkeys' response.Gradually, through visual feedback, the monkeys learned that the joystick manipulation was unnecessary, and began to move the robotic arms simply through their thoughts.
The computers translated their neuronal firing patterns to robotic arm movements, and the monkeys became adept at the thought-induced movements.In essence, the scientists bypassed the monkey's arms to create the same robotic arm movements.
No matter how cool you want to fool yourself into believing you are, you have to admit that this stuff is pretty amazing.
Though, like any other innovation, it is not flawless.The study was kept pretty simple in terms of the motions the monkeys had to learn, and yet the scientists used perhaps excessively large numbers of neurons to wire the monkeys' brains.
Also, a question that has yet to be addressed is the effects of age-related plasticity of the mind on neuronal firing patterns and task learning.
Forward-thinking great minds are not only working to eliminate the problems with this technology, they are thinking of noble applications such as helping the blind see, paraplegics walk, and Duke's big men play hard inside.
But not me.I am a simple man with simple dreams.
I see the future of cognitive sciences leading to a better tomorrow for lazy Joe's such as myself.
A world where I can change the channel without reaching all the way over to my coffee table to grab the remote.A world where I would not have to make that exhausting hike from my couch to my kitchen to grab a cold soda from the fridge.
In essence, a blissfully lazy tomorrow.
Omid Fatemi is a first-year Medical student at the University. His column runs biweekly in the Health & Science section.
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