Fruit flies lend themselves to valuable medical research, not least because a surprisingly high proportion of their genes exist also in the human genome. In other words genetically, we are very like fruit flies.

As they age, fruit flies show loss of memory in a similar way to aging humans. This can be easily tested. In this study the scientists identified the neurons (nerve cells) causing the loss of memory through a process called: “functional cellular imaging”. The surprise result of the study was that simple stimulation of these neurons reversed the aging.

Ron Davis, the chair of the Department of Neuroscience at Scripps, Florida, said: “We are able to peer down into the fly brain and see changes… that appear to reflect how intermediate-term memory is encoded in these neurons.”

The memories stored in the neurons were successfully restored by simple microscopic-level stimulation by either heat or cold; both worked.

This research has massive implications for the treatment of memory loss in humans which is associated with aging. Bearing in mind the backdrop of nanotechnology (which is developing at pace), genetics (the cost of which is plummeting) and computerization (the power of which is continuing to double every 18 months) research such as this can be leveraged to produce good results for humans – probably within the decade.

Science Daily article:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120402185349.htm

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• Scientists Shed Light On Age-Related Memory Loss And Possible Treatments (medicalnewstoday.com)

Memory Loss Reversed in Animals is a post from: Living To 150

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Scientists in Switzerland have said they expect to have built a fully-functioning replica of a human brain by 2020.

This may be an optimistic timeframe but one thing is certain – it will happen.

In fact, there are several teams in the world aiming to model the brain with super-fast computers.The computer they are using is capable of copying the actions of the 100 billion neurons in the human brain.

Many scientists believe that once the brain is built, consciousness will follow. Emotions will be a natural by-product of the millions of chemical impulses flitting between the artificial ‘synapses’ of the modelled brain.

This is the exact situation that Ray Kurzweil talks about in his book The Singularity is Near. In the book he predicts the continuing accelerating progress of both technology and science will mean a copy of the human brain is just a matter of time. And a short period of time at that.

This will raise moral issues: it the brain alive? Does it have rights? An our experiments torture? How do we define life?

There will be tough questions which the human race will deal with as it always has with changing circumstances. As best it can. And we have got through so far.

Question: Does having a computer equivalent to a human barin worry you? Or do you think we will cope OK one way or another? Post a comment.

A Computerized Brain Will Happen is a post from: Living To 150

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