<h1 class="ql-align-justify" > first observe and track the physical form of memory. </h1>
What is the composition of memory? This is a topic that scientists have been exploring. Memory is the basic material of thinking. Whenever we want to do something, communicate with others through language or form the simplest ideas or concepts, we go to the brain's memory bank to extract the knowledge we need. For us, however, the material form of memory is shrouded in a fog. What puzzles us is: What happens to the brain when a new memory is formed?
There is no doubt that the formation of memory is related to the strengthening of the links between the synapses of nerve cells. In 2016, a team of researchers in the United States studied the brains of sea slugs and observed for the first time that new proteins grow in synapses when memories are formed. The nervous system of this marine life is relatively simple.
So where are the memories stored in the complex brains of mammals? Short-term memory is stored in the hippocampus of both hemispheres of the brain. In 2017, researchers through mouse studies found that within an hour of a memory event, dna in the brain's hippocampus altered a certain chemical, changing the type of protein it produced. The following week, similar changes occurred in the DNA of the cerebral nervous system, appearing to be permanent, suggesting that long-term memories are stored here. This suggests that short-term memories are formed in the hippocampus and then converted into long-term memories in the cerebral cortex.
The brain responds particularly strongly to fear because certain terrible things can be life-or-death. The amygdala structure near the hippocampus plays an important role in this. In 2016, a canadian team found that after mice were disturbed by noise, the synapses of amygdala neurons were enhanced, but after killing these neurons, the mice's fear of noise memory was also eliminated. This is the first time scientists have tracked the formation of nerve cells in specific memories.
<h1 class="ql-align-justify" > regeneration of nerve cells can overcome diseases of old age. </h1>
For years, it was believed that when we were born, all the brain cells in our lives were present and would not increase in the future. However, new discoveries in the 1990s overturned this theory. In fact, mammals, including humans, have been producing new brain cells. For humans, "nerve cell regeneration" occurs in two places, the olfactory bulb region learning new odors, and the hippocampal region associated with learning and memory abilities.
The discovery that newborn neurons can bind to primitive nerve cells in the adult brain opens up endless possibilities for the future of humanity. Can we use this process to treat certain brain disorders, such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's? Can new healthy neurons replace damaged brain tissue? It is estimated that as many as 10,000 species of brain cells make up the different functions of the nervous system. The complexity of brain cells means that it is impossible for us to use the natural regeneration of nerve cells to accomplish this task.
Swedish scientists obtain a type of nerve cell capable of producing dopamine from miscarried embryos. After transplanting into the brains of Parkinson's disease patients, they found that these newly transplanted neurons significantly improved the brain function of the patients, but this treatment was not universally applicable to all patients. Scientists are looking for brain neuronal cells with special functions from embryonic stem cells or reprogrammed adult skin cells.
The study found that even in the non-neural regenerative parts of the brain, a small amount of "progenitor cells" remain during embryonic brain development. Although they are not true stem cells, at least animal experiments have shown that they also have the ability to form nerve cells. The researchers tracked chemical changes in the brains of mice and found that new motor nerves produced by progenitor cells could replace the motor nerves of mice destroyed by the disease.
Scientists are excited about the ability of non-neuronal parts of the brain to regenerate. The brain's nerves are complex and slender, but scientists are confident of rebuilding the brain with the same precision.
mirror neurons < h1 class="ql-align-justify" > may be the key to solving the mystery of human empathy. </h1>
What are mirror neurons? When you smile, the whole world smiles at you. This is a famous quote from the famous black jazz singer Louis Armstrong. But to Armstrong's surprise, he inadvertently revealed one of the greatest discoveries in neuroscience: mirror neurons.
In the 1990s, researchers discovered mirror neuronal cells in experiments with apes. They found that many neurons were active when the monkeys exhibited some behavior, and when the monkeys watched the researchers do the same, a group of neurons became active, and different types of mirror neurons became active due to different activities.
Are mirror neurons also present in the human brain? MRI shows that when we exhibit a certain behavior or see other people do a certain behavior, the part of our brain called the "mirror system" will "light up." Numerous studies have shown that the more active the brain mirror system, the more people can understand others and the more they can understand people's emotional changes. Conversely, people who are less active in the mirroring system are more apathetic and withdrawn. Neuroscientists speculate that neuromyocytes in the human brain are the neurological basis for empathy. Mirror neurons are also associated with the ability to imitate, learn, and even language acquisition. Of course, there are also researchers who believe that understanding the emotions or behaviors of others and generating empathy is a great cognitive ability, and this ability may not be done by a nervous system alone.
<h1 class="ql-align-justify" > consciousness is not like a light switch. </h1>
You may feel like consciousness is like a light switch, whether it's on or off. But the truth is far from simple. This question challenges our understanding of self-awareness and free will. In the past, it was thought that consciousness existed in three states: waking, dreamless, and dreamless sleep. However, brain imaging techniques show that the state of consciousness is more than just these three states. In the case of sleepwalking, 20 percent of people have experienced sleepwalking, and studies have found that sleepwalkers' brains are actually in a half-asleep, half-awake state. The researchers linked sleepwalkers' brains to brain scanning devices. Monitoring found that when patients sleepwalked, the cerebral cortex, which is associated with consciousness, partially closed, while other parts of the brain were active, including those related to mood and emotion.
Consciousness also exists in various other strange states. In fantastic sleep, or REM sleep, we lie quietly in bed while the brain inhibits and interrupts the activity of sending motor instructions to the muscles. However, for some patients with REM sleep disorders, the inhibition mechanism fails due to failure. They dance and act in their dreams. Another type of sleep paralysis is just the opposite. Sleepers feel awake but find their bodies unable to move.
The study also found that there may be some neglected states between waking up and coma. A team of researchers in the UK found that communicating with patients who entered the vegetative state was not impossible. Although patients are unaware of their surroundings, this possibility exists as long as they still have the ability to reflex and are able to breathe on their own. The researchers told patients lying under brain monitoring devices that imagined themselves playing tennis or walking around the house and found that patients were able to answer some of the questions the researchers asked "yes" or "no." Vegetarians are often considered unconscious, but if they are able to understand the doctor's problems and communicate with him, they may be able to express their thoughts on the treatment plan.
We may not know exactly how many states consciousness has, but we can be sure that consciousness is not turned on or off like a light switch, but more like a ladder. The higher we climb, the more uncertain our minds become. We don't know how many mysteries remain in the future.
<h1 class="ql-align-justify" > scientists are uncovering the secrets of psychic forces controlling matter. </h1>
If you are unfortunate enough to be hospitalized, in a ward with flowers and trees outside the window and a wide view, you will recover better and faster than in a ward facing a brick wall. As early as the birth of medicine, people began to explore the relationship between mental state and physical health. For example, if a patient has some unexplained symptoms, a smart doctor will look for the cause in the patient's mental state or emotional influences. It is well known that there are not many examples of health-related illnesses such as bereavement or divorce.
Why do psychological factors have a big impact on physical condition? Why are some diseases more susceptible to mental status than others? Why does a placebo make people "cheated" and have unexpected therapeutic effects? What are the effects of mental cues on our health? These questions have not yet been fully answered.
The effects of mental strength seem to be related to our immune system. Test-tube experiments and human experiments have shown that great psychological stress reduces the vitality of the immune system. The brain seems to affect the immune system in a variety of ways, from chemical mediators to nervous system regulation. For example, studies have found that branches of the vagus nerve that are connected to the brain play a key role in regulating the function of the immune system, in which signals from the brain pass through the cryptorchium, altering the behavior of immune cells in the spleen. The study also found that in many diseases, including cancer, electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve can reduce the degree of inflammatory infection.
If we can't consciously control the immune system with mental strength, we can at least keep our immune system in good shape through medication and perhaps also through the vagus nerve.
<h1 class="ql-align-justify" > a person's intelligence is not the size of the brain, but the structure of the brain. </h1>
In 1955, Einstein's brain was dissected. To our disappointment, his brain is smaller than the average person's. In fact, the latest research suggests that there is little relationship between brain size and intelligence. An important factor that determines intelligence seems to be whether communication between nerve cells is smooth and effective. Dutch neuroscientists have found that neural networks are more efficient in the transmission of intelligent brains, that is, they transmit information between parts of the brain in the shortest and most efficient transmission pathways.
Another important factor depends on the myelin sheath that wraps around the nerve fibers and acts as an insulating agent. The amount of myelin sheath directly affects the transmission speed of EEG signals. Studies have found that there is a certain relationship between IQ and myelin.
We still don't know how much genetic factors affect intelligence. Various studies estimate this difference to be between 40 percent and 80 percent, because the older you are, the greater the influence of genetic factors on intelligence. A study of 11,000 pairs of twins found that genetic factors that influence differences in intelligence account for 40 percent at age 9 and 2/3 at age 17.
Why is that? Maybe it's because genes influence the development of the brain itself as we grow, or maybe it's because it's related to adults actively looking for experiences to stimulate the brain and actively develop the brain, thereby promoting brain growth.
One scientist said that the naturally intelligent brain also needs an external environment suitable for its growth.
When the sparks of that day were too bright..." Genius doesn't have to be crazy. "More than two thousand years ago, the ancient Roman philosopher Seneca said this.
Some of the great creative geniuses of history, such as Newton and Einstein, had mild emotional disorders, and the painter Vincent van Gogh suffered from bipolar disorder.
No one would disagree that a completely insane person can't have creative achievements, but some mild symptoms may contribute to a genius's creative abilities. Studies have shown that a person's mental state is like a spectrum, with one end in a state of severe disorder and the other end in a normal state. Only the middle class can improve their creativity and become extraordinary people.
Some of the evidence comes from studies of comparative advantage of the left and right brains. People with certain special advantages are often referred to as "left brain" or "right brain". The generally accepted theory is that the left brain is good at linguistic and logical analysis, and the right brain is good at creative thinking. Many studies have shown that some people with mental disorders are more active in their right brain.
In addition, genetic studies have shown that a substance called neuromodulatory protein 1 plays an important role in the development of brain embryos. Mutations produced by this gene may inhibit the activity of the prefrontal cortex. For some people, it may unleash a degree of creativity, but for others, it can cause symptoms such as delusions.
<h1 class="ql-align-justify" > free will does exist, it's not you and me who hold it. </h1>
The subconscious mind is thought to be a silent autopilot in the brain. It allows us to say, do things that "don't think." However, recent research has shown that the subconscious mind plays an important role in learning and memory, even more so than rational analysis when decisions need to be made about difficult problems.
In an experiment conducted by the late neuroscientist Benjamin Rebet in the 1980s, subjects were monitored for brain activity 300 milliseconds before the subject realized his fingers were moving.
French scientists have experimented to reveal the subtle interaction between the conscious and subconscious. In the experiment, volunteers saw a word appear on a computer screen, followed by a picture on the screen. The volunteers' attention was quickly drawn to the painting and the word was ignored. The associated brain activity shown by the brain scanner showed that as the time interval between words and images increased, the volunteers suddenly noticed the words and words that appeared in the volunteers' consciousness, which usually occurred when the time interval between words and images reached 50 milliseconds. However, when some emotional words, such as "love" or "fear," appear, it only takes a few milliseconds for the brain to respond. The difference is that the attention and attention to these words is determined by the subconscious mind.
These studies have changed the way we think about the relationship between the conscious and subconscious minds. If our consciousness is like a spotlight, the subconscious mind plays a role in rotating and controlling the direction of the beam.
Some scientists say that consciousness is not free, and what we call "free will" actually exists in the subconscious.
<h1 class="ql-align-justify" > we must first understand what consciousness is before we can create artificial consciousness. </h1>
Nothing is more challenging than creating artificial consciousness. Some people wonder if we can actually do it, or whether we should do it, but scientists who dare to challenge it don't give up. In their view, creating artificial consciousness is a major challenge compared to sending humans to the moon.
The International Journal of Robotic Awareness marks a rapid development in the field of robotics research. Another milestone is the recently released Robot Consciousness Classification, which was developed by Raúl Arabelles of the University of Carlos III in Spain to compare and rate the level of intelligence in various forms of ARTIFICIAL intelligence.
Currently, the robot software closest to consciousness is the artificial intelligence distribution software "Ida", designed and developed by American scientist Stan Franklin in 2013. Its main task is to assign tasks and make mission requirements for the U.S. Navy. Ada's handling procedures are divided into two levels: "conscious" and "unconscious". The unconscious layer is responsible for collecting data and processing information, and the collected information goes into Ada's "consciously" workspace, where it can interact and make final decisions. An upgraded version of Ada with learning abilities was born in 2010 and is called Lida. It can learn everything it perceives and can be used to guide future decisions. Ida even has some "emotional feelings" that can influence decisions.
A Team of researchers in the UK has even developed a robot similar to the structure of the human body, which is said to be very close to humans.
However, all of these efforts have yet to solve the robot's "consciousness" problem, which of course refers to subjective consciousness. No one knows how to design this kind of intelligent software, but as robotics becomes more advanced, this problem will be eliminated in two ways before we understand it: either robot consciousness will appear spontaneously, or we assume that robot consciousness has emerged, but we are not sure if they have real consciousness.
Of course, if we want to create a robot with real consciousness, we must first really understand how the brain works and what consciousness is.