Neuroimaging is the process of brain imaging (scanning mind) of the design and function of the nervous system.
It includes these techniques:
Computed Tomography (CT)
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Functional MRI (FMRI)
Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
It gives both the anatomical and functional visualizations of our nervous system.
Simply, the study of neuro-imaging is known as Pharmacology.
It studies :
How the brian works?
What are the impacts of various activities to the brian?
Working Mechanism of Neuroimaging
Here, different techniques work uniquely where CT uses X-ray slices to show the density of brain structures.
MRI uses a magnetic field to observe the changes occurred by electrically charged molecules to show the images of the brian.
These all are the neuroimaging techniques used from past decades.
But we will need a futuristic advanced Brain Scanner to scan the mind completely.
So, we could keep all the data of the activities performing in each neuron and synapses (Connections between neurons). Read more about Neuroimaging at Wikipedia.
Scanning Mind (Process)
Actually the main challenge occurs at the time of scanning a mind.
It’s even more challenging to capture the mind in enough detail. So that a perfect copy of the mind could be created artificially.
You ask : Yeah! We will scan, But what to Scan???
Do You Know, The Human Brian contains about 86 billion neurons which is more than the stars found in our Milky Way Galaxy.
So, it becomes more difficult to scan all the neuron activities running inside the brain.
The only thing which matters is Connectome.
Connectome are the interconnections between neurons.
These interconnections are possible by the help of Synapses.
Synapses are the bridges which connect one neuron to another neuron for exchanging information through signals.
But the problem occurs i.e We haven’t yet mapped the connectome.
This concept raises a mind blowing question “Can we upload Human Consciousness? ”
Well, it is clearly shown in the movie called “Transcendence” where the actor’s mind is scanned and uploaded to a Super Computer.
What’s the Problem
The main idea is to copy the human brain and store that copy in a Software.
To do this, We’re going to need 3 technologies to be good enough.
First, We’re going to need:
Lots of Chips
Fast and Parallel Computers
Second, We’re going to need to scan individual human brains in:
Fine spatial (Occupying Space)
Chemical Details.
We will do these to see exactly what cells are where, connected to what and of what type.
Third, We’re going to need computer models of : How each kind of brian cell works?
To do this, We will need to take Input signals, change interval state and send output signals.
If We’re good enough models of all the kinds of brain cells and a good enough model of the brain, We can put it together to make a good enough model of an entire brain.
That model would have the same input-output behavior as the original.
So, if you talk to it, it might talk back to you. If you ask it to do things, it might do them and if We could do that, everything would change.
Unfortunately, none of them are there yet.
Success in Mind Uploading
Scientists have successfully uploaded Worm’s Mind into a Lego Robot
Scientists of the OPENWORM Project have created a Lego robot that thinks and acts like a Worm.
This happened when the Scientists inserted a software designed on the Model structure of the Worm’s Neural Connections.
OPENWORM and OPEN SOURCE Researchers have devoted themselves to create the world’s first virtual organism in a Computer Simulation.
This Virtual Worm is Just a common Roundworm called C. Elegans.
They used a complete map of the neural connections inside the Worm’s Brain.
Timothy Busbise (a co-founder of the OPENWORM) has inserted that software into a simple Lego Robot.
Surprisingly, He found that the Lego robot started to behave and respond to its environment exactly like a Normal Worm.
Why Do Scientists Choose Common Roundworms for the Project?
Actually, the scientists picked the common roundworms for their project because its brain has been widely studied around the world.
The First Map of Roundworms’ Neural Connections was published in 1986.
Its Whole Body has all about 1000 cells only and the neurons make about a third part of cell numbers i.e. 302.
So, it’s a very suitable animal to experiment and to know “what a very simple nervous system does?”
Hope of Mr. Timothy Busbise
He hopes that his robot will inspire similar projects with animals that possess more complicated brains and help to advance the field of artificial intelligence.
Conclusion:
Scientists often think that one day they will be able to simulate the Human’s Brain and upload it to the computer.
They would do this by scanning 86 billions neurons and 100 trillion synapses (connections).
This could finally allow more effective treatments related to neurological disorders. They include:
Parkinson Disease
Alzheimer Disease
Rather than having treatment, it can often lead to the cures of those chronic diseases because it will be so much advanced that it might have cure for all dieseases.
OPENWORM Scientists have already published a fully digital version of the worm for everyone to explore on the web in 2015.
