Blog
This is your Orchard Blog.
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Modes of Thinking
Ellery Newton to carboncopies 24 Dec 2018
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We must exploit profit opportunities.
Ellery Newton 21 Dec
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mind upload with a prosthetic brain in a robotic body
Ellery Newton 18 Dec
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Artificial Intelligence and Experience Series (AIEX): Engineering the Mind
Keith Wiley shared a link. 12 Dec
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3D nanofabrication by volumetric deposition and controlled shrinkage of patterned scaffolds
Randal Koene is with Adam Marblestone. 14 Dec 2018
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Whole-brain emulation - flowchart diagram
Logan Thrasher Collins Neuroscience on 22 Nov 2018
I made this flowchart diagram to illustrate my perspective on the necessary steps for whole-brain emulation. Some of the milestones have already been accomplished, others are still underway. I’m working on the contrast agents for X-ray microtomography currently. Eventually, I hope to initiate a large-scale project (akin to the Human Brain Project) to pursue the goal of whole-brain emulation. The future is bright! -
A Complete Electron Microscopy Volume of the Brain of Adult Drosophila melanogaster
Joe Strout shared on 4 Nov 2018
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The Final Odyssey
post by Randal Koene on October 24 2018 link
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Thermogenetic stimulation of single neocortical pyramidal neurons transfected with TRPV1-L channels
Thermogenetics is a promising innovative neurostimulation technique, which enables robust activation of single neurons using thermosensitive cation channels and IR stimulation. The main advantage of IR stimulation compared to conventional visible light optogenetics is the depth of penetration (up to millimeters). Due to physiological limitations, thermogenetic molecular tools for mammalian brain stimulation remain poorly developed. Here, we tested the possibility of employment of this new technique for stimulation of neocortical neurons. The method is based on activation gating of TRPV1-L channels selectively expressed in specific cells. Pyramidal neurons of layer 2/3 of neocortex were transfected at an embryonic stage using a pCAG expression vector and electroporation in utero. Depolarization and spiking responses of TRPV1L+ pyramidal neurons to IR radiation were recorded electrophysiologically in acute brain slices of adult animals with help of confocal visualization. As TRPV1L-expressing neurons are not sensitive to visible light, there were no limitations of the use of this technique with conventional fluorescence imaging. Our experiments demonstrated that the TRPV1-L+ pyramidal neurons preserve their electrical excitability in acute brain slices, while IR radiation can be successfully used to induce single neuronal depolarization and spiking at near physiological temperatures. Obtained results provide important information for adaptation of thermogenetic technology to mammalian brain studies in vivo.
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Individual Variability in Functional Connectivity Architecture of the Human Brain
The fact that people think or behave differently from one another is rooted in individual differences in brain anatomy and connectivity. Here, we used repeated-measurement resting-state functional MRI to explore intersubject variability in connectivity. Individual differences in functional connectivity were heterogeneous across the cortex, with significantly higher variability in heteromodal association cortex and lower variability in unimodal cortices. Intersubject variability in connectivity was significantly correlated with the degree of evolutionary cortical expansion, suggesting a potential evolutionary root of functional variability. The connectivity variability was also related to variability in sulcal depth but not cortical thickness, positively correlated with the degree of long-range connectivity but negatively correlated with local connectivity. A meta-analysis further revealed that regions predicting individual differences in cognitive domains are predominantly located in regions of high connectivity variability. Our findings have potential implications for understanding brain evolution and development, guiding intervention, and interpreting statistical maps in neuroimaging.