but the question is, how far can it go? in the end, will machines have an autonomy. yes. ..an independent consciousness, thinking capacity. no reason why. .. ..that will far surpass we humans? no reason why not. and transcend its powers enormously. and the main reason is quite simple, and anybody can understand it. the living stuff, the biological intelligences on the earth of all kinds don t forget, we re not the only ones. whales have got enormous brains. so have elephants. elephants have got a bigger brain than we ve got, and there s evidence they use it. so we mustn t get too proud. but we re very limited because the speed at which a signal goes along a neuron is one millionth as slow as the speed that electron goes down
In Major Find, Scientists Catch Nerve Cells Send Information in The Wrong Direction
19 MAY 2021
The point at which our nerve cells meet to share information was thought to be a one-way street, with electrochemical signals strictly flowing from one neuron s sending axons to the next neuron s receiving dendrites.
Now, for the first time, researchers have shown that information can also flow in the opposite direction at the neuron intersection we call a synapse. Once again, exact measurements have shown that reality is more complex than a simplified model would suggest, said cellular neuroscientist Peter Jonas from Austria s Institute of Science and Technology (IST).
The nervous system In a new study, researchers from the University of Copenhagen have gained new insights into how signal molecules are transported in some of the longest cells in the nervous system. The discovery is made by examining the transport process in fruit flies. The researchers hope that the results can contribute to understanding human illnesses such as neuropathy and neurodegenerative disease. Photo: Colourbox The nervous system is the internet of the human body and can in the same way transfer signals over long distances very quickly. Some of the most important elements in this signaling are the axons. They are projections of the nerve cells which send signals to other nerve cells or muscles. For instance, axons that jut out from nerve cells in the spinal cord can be over one meter long.
Non-invasive neuromodulation approaches can prevent invasive surgery in Parkinson s patients
From optogenetics to sonogenetics to magnetognetics, scientists around the world are investigating new techniques to treat Parkinson s disease without the need for invasive surgery.
There is still no treatment that can reverse the effects of Parkinson s disease, a condition estimated to affect 10 million people worldwide. As life expectancy increases, the number of people suffering from this disease is set to rise in the future, making the need for effective treatment a priority.
Doctors prescribe oral medication to alleviate the main symptoms and, for a few patients, use deep brain stimulation. The electrodes stimulate the affected areas and relieve the reactions induced by the disease such as tremor or rigidity.
Scientists use a novel two-step method to track receptor proteins
The neurons in our nervous system talk to each other by sending and receiving chemical messages called neurotransmitters. This communication is facilitated by cell membrane proteins called receptors, which pick up neurotransmitters and relay them across cells. In a recent study published in
Nature Communications, scientists from Japan report their findings on the dynamics of receptors, which can enable understanding of the processes of memory formation and learning.
The regulation of receptor movement and localization within the neuron is important for synaptic plasticity, an important process in the central nervous system. A specific type of glutamate receptor, known as AMPA-type glutamate receptor (AMPAR), undergoes a constant cycle of trafficking , being cycled in and out of the neuronal membrane. A precise regulation of this trafficking process is associated with learning, memory formation, and developmen