[MURG] A repost

[Joseph M. Graham Jr.]

Hello, murg,

There has been an idea around for some time that the
complete contents of a human brain could somehow be
"downloaded" into a computerlike device, then to either
be "uploaded" into another brain or to be run as a
simulation by the computer directly - an electronic
"you" in a cyber-universe or "android" body.

The main frustration to this goal is that our brain
tissues are not constructed in a way that makes it
easy to deduce their functional parameters in high
detail. Indeed, the electrochemical nature of a
nerve impulse gives very little signal to detect
by any means other than the direct insertion of
an electrode into discrete nerve cells. Getting
nerves to respond to induced signals is also very
difficult - again the only viable solution is to
directly insert an electrode.

It is obviously not going to be possible to stick
an electrode into each and every cell in the brain
at the same time so we can record the minds 
functional parameters, much less to input new
information. Some have suggested freezing brains
and then taking them down molecular layer by
molecular layer so we can find the telltale signs
of synapse weights and connections. Yucky, to
say the least.

HOWEVER ... by chance, I came across some fragments
of a possible solution of late. Here's how it goes ...

Nerves and neural activity - especially the all-
important synaptic connections and their weightings
are almost invisible to our technology. Why not
CHANGE something about the nerves themselves so
that they BECOME easier to interface with ??? 

Instead of trying to "scan" synapses and neural
activity, let's think about having the nerve itself
play the tattletale. Can an organic chemical be
fabricated which will lodge inside neurons, or
be placed there indirectly via a retrovirus, which
will momentarily change physical shape or even
give off a high-frequency electromagnetic signal
when when the cell membrane depolarizes ???

In the case of a spontaneous gigahertz radio
transmission, we could then very easily listen
to each nerve chatter away with conventional
radio receiving apparatus. In the case of a
shape-changing molecule, we could perhaps apply
an appropriate RF or magnetic field to the brain,
tuned for our tag molecule, and then observe
changes caused as the tag flips back and forth
into the resonant frequency -- similar to
some analytic tricks we can do with NMP but
hopefully (much) more precise.

The trick, of course, is spatial resolution. It
is likely impossible to give each nerve its own
tattletale frequency - though a tag molecule
which required an external field or energy source
to "prime" it might allow scanning of narrow
planes. Molecular-level precision ... maybe it
can be done. In any event, the idea is to not
only see which nerves connect with which other
nerves but to build-up a database showing under
what conditions they "speak" to each other - a
way of deducing not only synapses but their
weightings as well. Recording for an hour or a
day might give us enough data to determine this.

As for "uploading" ... a vital element in any
future human/machine interfacing ... we can
revisit the idea of inserting engineered 
"antennas" into the nerve membranes which, 
when hit with an appropriate external RF signal
will cause the nerve to fire off. 

Anyway ... if the brain exhibits low compatibility
with our data and engineering technology, let's
think about ways to change the brain at the cellular
level to make it more compatible. What I have
suggested is much more readily within our immediate
capabilities than, say, nano-machines or scanners
which can easily determine the disposition of every
atom in a brain. We don't really HAVE to know the
disposition of every brain atom in order to "download"
the person, but we do need to know the connection
diagrams, synapse weightings and chemoreceptor
responses of each discrete neuron.

The computing power to run a gross simulation of a
living brain is promised within 30-50 years - which
likely means 15-20 years. Gross simulations can be
analysed and then greatly optimized - meaning that
many "brains" could run on the same amount of
computer power. We also note that the technology of
reproducing bodily organs and perhaps even entire
bodies is rapidly advancing. Wouldn't it be nice
to trade a worn-out old body for a fresh new one ?
You only have to get "you" from one skull into
the other ...

Just some ideas ...


Best regards. 

Joseph M. Graham Jr.
jmgj2 at netzero.com
2003-09-16