Neuralink, the company co-founded by billionaire Elon Musk, showed video Wednesday of its <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musks-neuralink-implants-chip-into-brain-of-first-human-subject" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first quadriplegic patient</a> with a brain chip implant playing chess with his mind.
The video, which was uploaded as a livestream to X by a Neuralink engineer, shows 29-year-old Noland Arbaugh sitting in front of a computer screen playing chess while discussing the new technology. Asked by the engineer to explain what he was doing, Arbaugh said he was moving the cursor on his computer with only his thoughts as he used the cursor to move chess pieces on the board.
“It’s all being done with my brain. If y’all can see the cursor moving around the screen, that’s all me, y’all,” he said.
Arbaugh, an Arizona man and former Corps of Cadets at Texas A&amp;M, was paralyzed below his shoulders after a “freak diving accident” while he was working as a camp counselor eight years ago, The Daily Mail <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13222393/who-neuralink-patient-noland-arbaugh-paralyzed-diving-accident.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Neuralink announced in January that it had successfully implanted a brain chip into Arbaugh, the company’s first human subject.
Neuralink’s implant, a “brain-computer interface” technology, is roughly the size of a quarter and sends out brain signal data to a Neuralink app, which decodes the data into actions, according to <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-30/neuralink-what-to-know-about-the-first-human-brain-implant-at-musk-s-startup" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bloomberg</a>.
Arbaugh said on the Neuralink livestream that after being implanted with the brain chip and practicing, “it became intuitive for me to start imagining the cursor moving.”
“Basically, it was like using the Force on the cursor, and I could get it to move wherever I wanted,” Arbaugh said. “Just stare somewhere in the screen and it would move where I wanted it to, which was such a wild experience.”
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<a href="https://t.co/OMIeGGjYtG">https://t.co/OMIeGGjYtG</a>
&mdash; Neuralink (@neuralink) <a href="https://twitter.com/neuralink/status/1770563939413496146?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Musk <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1770687287174582483" target="_blank" rel="noopener">responded</a> to the Neuralink video on X, writing, “Long-term, it is possible to shunt the signals from the brain motor cortex past the damaged part of the spine to enable people to walk again and use their arms normally.”
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Neuralink started its trials on monkeys and showed the animals using the device to play the game “Pong” on computers. The company hopes the breakthrough brain technology will help people who are paralyzed or suffer from vision or hearing loss. Eventually, Musk hopes Neuralink will help humans work together with ever-evolving artificial intelligence (AI).
After the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musks-neuralink-startup-receives-fda-approval-for-first-in-human-brain-chip-implant-clinical-study" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FDA gave</a> Neuralink the green light to begin clinical trials on humans last year and the company started <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/musks-neuralink-opens-recruitment-for-first-in-human-brain-chip-clinical-trial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recruiting</a> test subjects, Musk <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1704541473830572515?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1704545171075903821%7Ctwgr%5Ed0a806dfbeef6227ce586577124db1de1fc9aec5%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fembedly.forbes.com%2Fwidgets%2Fmedia.html%3Ftype%3Dtext2Fhtmlkey%3D3ce26dc7e3454db5820ba084d28b4935schema%3Dtwitterurl%3Dhttps3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Felonmusk%2Fstatus%2F17045451710759038213Fs3D20image%3Dhttps3A%2F%2Fi.embed.ly%2F1%2Fimage3Furl3Dhttps253A252F252Fabs.twimg.com252Ferrors252Flogo46x38.png26key3D3ce26dc7e3454db5820ba084d28b4935" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>, “The first human patient will soon receive a Neuralink device. This ultimately has the potential to restore full body movement.”
“In the long term, Neuralink hopes to play a role in AI … civilizational risk reduction by improving human to AI (and human to human) bandwidth by several orders of magnitude,” Musk continued. “Imagine if Stephen Hawking had had this.”
Arbaugh said that while the technology isn’t perfect and there is still work to be done, the Neuralink brain chip has “already changed my life.” He also said the roughly 30-minute surgery to implant the device “was super easy.”
“I literally was released from the hospital a day later. I have no cognitive impairments,” he added. “I just want to thank Neuralink for doing this, for working hard every day to make this a reality. I think that they are going to change the world.”

Neuralink

Neuralink Posts Video Of First Human Patient Using Brain Chip To Play Chess With His Mind

Brain

Elon Musk

Technology

U.S.

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk announced on Monday that his neurotechnology company Neuralink successfully implanted a brain chip into the first human subject.
The Neuralink brain implant is a “brain-computer interface” technology that seeks to help people with debilitating conditions, such as paralysis, to interact with the world by controlling devices with their thoughts, The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/elon-musk-says-neuralink-has-implanted-brain-chip-in-human-127a6f56" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Musk, who founded Neuralink along with a team of scientists in 2016, said the first patient received the implant on Sunday and “is recovering well.”
“Initial results show promising neuron spike detection,” Musk <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1752098683024220632?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a>, which means the Neuralink device is detecting signals from neurons in the brain, according to the WSJ.
The brain chip, roughly the size of a quarter, sends out brain signal data to a Neuralink app, which decodes the data into actions, Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-30/neuralink-what-to-know-about-the-first-human-brain-implant-at-musk-s-startup" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The company hopes the breakthrough brain technology will help people who are paralyzed or suffer from vision or hearing loss. Eventually, Musk hopes Neuralink will help humans work together with ever-evolving artificial intelligence (AI).
After the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musks-neuralink-startup-receives-fda-approval-for-first-in-human-brain-chip-implant-clinical-study" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FDA</a> gave Neuralink the green light to begin clinical trials on humans last year and the company <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/musks-neuralink-opens-recruitment-for-first-in-human-brain-chip-clinical-trial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">started recruiting</a> test subjects, Musk <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1704541473830572515?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1704545171075903821%7Ctwgr%5Ed0a806dfbeef6227ce586577124db1de1fc9aec5%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fembedly.forbes.com%2Fwidgets%2Fmedia.html%3Ftype%3Dtext2Fhtmlkey%3D3ce26dc7e3454db5820ba084d28b4935schema%3Dtwitterurl%3Dhttps3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Felonmusk%2Fstatus%2F17045451710759038213Fs3D20image%3Dhttps3A%2F%2Fi.embed.ly%2F1%2Fimage3Furl3Dhttps253A252F252Fabs.twimg.com252Ferrors252Flogo46x38.png26key3D3ce26dc7e3454db5820ba084d28b4935" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>, “The first human patient will soon receive a Neuralink device. This ultimately has the potential to restore full body movement.”
“In the long term, Neuralink hopes to play a role in AI &#8230; civilizational risk reduction by improving human to AI (and human to human) bandwidth by several orders of magnitude,” Musk continued. “Imagine if Stephen Hawking had had this.”
Before implanting its first human subject with a brain chip, Neuralink tested its technology on monkeys, showing videos of the animals playing the game “Pong” on computers. Neuralink didn’t provide any information about the human subject, but its <a href="https://neuralink.com/patient-registry/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a> says the “first clinical trial is open to recruitment” for people with “limited or no ability to use both hands due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).”
Musk <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1752119586470949056" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on Monday that the first Neuralink product “is called Telepathy,” adding that it “enables control of your phone or computer, and through them almost any device, just by thinking.”
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“Initial users will be those who have lost the use of their limbs,” Musk said. “Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a speed typist or auctioneer. That is the goal.”

Neuralink Illustrations

Elon Musk’s Neuralink Implants Chip Into Brain Of First Human Subject

Elon Musk's Neuralink Implants Chip Into Brain Of First Human Subject

Artificial Intelligence

Business

NewsNation host <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/chris-cuomo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Cuomo</a> struggled to keep it together during a segment on his show this week where he interviewed a social media influencer who has Tourette’s syndrome.
During his show on Tuesday, Cuomo interviewed 20-year-old Baylen Dupree, who has amassed an audience of 9 million followers on TikTok, which she uses to educate people about the neurological disorder.
&#8220;I’m not going to censor her. Yeah, she’s going to say some things that you would not want to say yourself, let alone have said to you, which is probably going to be my position,&#8221; he said. &#8220;But as I told Baylen just moments ago, she’s not going to say anything to me that my whole team hasn’t wanted to say since the day that they met me. But I love the bravery and I love that we can get through the stigma and just treat somebody with decency because we all deserve it.&#8221;
During various moments throughout the interview, Dupree would have moments where her Tourette’s syndrome took over.
&#8220;I want people to learn that Tourette’s is a neurological, involuntary motor and vocal disorder,&#8221; she said. &#8220;F*** off. F*** off. F*** off. I don’t tic 24/7, and there’s a lot of… Little baby weiners. F*** off. F*** you, Chris. There’s a lot of things that people don’t understand. Like, people think that cussing is with everyone who has Tourette syndrome, but it’s only in 10 percent of people with Tourette’s.&#8221;
During another moment, Dupree said: &#8220;I also get very evil people that would comment and say like — go f*** yourself, Chris. Little baby weiners. [inaudible] up your ass. Butter your own biscuit, fat a**. That have told me that my parents deserved to die in a car accident because I am faking my condition.&#8221;
Cuomo chuckled and tried not to laugh throughout the course of the interview.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
You are not your limitation, you’re what you decide to do with it. Baylen Dupree suffers from Tourette’s syndrome and she’s working to destigmatize it through social media. Instead of trying to hide her disorder she’s documenting her life, educating people on what its like to… <a href="https://t.co/ebmSa90A1H">pic.twitter.com/ebmSa90A1H</a>
&mdash; Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisCuomo/status/1734756850728419518?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Cuomo

WATCH: Chris Cuomo Chuckles Throughout Interview With Woman Suffering From Tourette’s Syndrome

Chris Cuomo

Media

NewsNation

Neuralink — Elon Musk’s neurotechnology startup company — announced on Tuesday that recruitment is open to implant a wireless brain-computer interface in its first in-human clinical trial.
Company officials describe the PRIME Study — short for Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface — as a groundbreaking investigational medical device trial designed to evaluate the safety and assess the functionality of an implant and surgical robot for people with severe degenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), to control external devices with their thoughts.
“During the study, the R1 Robot will be used to surgically place the N1 Implant’s ultra-fine and flexible threads in a region of the brain that controls movement intention,” the company <a href="https://neuralink.com/blog/first-clinical-trial-open-for-recruitment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a>. “Once in place, the N1 Implant is cosmetically invisible and is intended to record and transmit brain signals wirelessly to an app that decodes movement intention.”
“The initial goal of our [Brain-Computer Interface] is to grant people the ability to control a computer cursor or keyboard using their thoughts alone,” the company added.
Applicants with quadriplegia due to cervical spinal cord injury or ALS may qualify for the trial, officials said.
Musk has touted that over the years, the experimental brain-chip implant could treat neurological disorders such as paralysis and blindness by bridging signals between existing neurons and allowing humans to save and replay memories, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musks-neuralink-startup-receives-fda-approval-for-first-in-human-brain-chip-implant-clinical-study" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a> that “the future is going to be weird.”
Musk <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/25/elon-musks-neuralink-gets-fda-approval-for-in-human-study.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> said at a “show and tell” recruitment event late last year that he would likely implant himself with the neurotechnology.
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“You could have a Neuralink device implanted right now, and you wouldn’t even know,” Musk said at the time. “In fact, in one of these demos, I will.”
The company received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May to launch its first-in-human clinical study.
Neuralink received FDA breakthrough designation for its technology three years ago, and Musk repeatedly claimed that human trials would begin immediately. However, the company had its application rejected in early 2022 by the FDA over safety concerns.
Seven current and former FDA employees <a href="https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/neuralink-musk-fda/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Reuters earlier this year that the agency’s major safety concerns involved “the device’s lithium battery; the potential for the implant’s tiny wires to migrate to other areas of the brain; and questions over whether and how the device can be removed without damaging brain tissue.”
“We want to be extremely careful and certain that it will work well before putting a device into a human,” Musk said, according to Reuters. “The progress at first, particularly as it applies to humans, will seem perhaps agonizingly slow, but we are doing all of the things to bring it to scale in parallel. So, in theory, progress should be exponential.”
The approval comes as U.S. lawmakers requested that regulators <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-lawmakers-seek-probe-how-elon-musks-brain-chip-venture-oversees-animal-2023-05-12/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">investigate</a> how the company has conducted animal testing and if those trials were rushed or resulted in failed experiments.
Neuralink has also faced other federal investigations, including from the USDA’s Inspector General over concerns of violating the Animal Welfare Act and the U.S. Department of Transportation over accusations over the movement of hazardous pathogens.

Musk’s Neuralink Opens Recruitment For First In-Human Brain Chip Clinical Trial

Musk's Neuralink Opens Recruitment For First In-Human Brain Chip Clinical Trial

Paradromics, a <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/silicon-valley" target="_blank" rel="noopener">company</a> seeking to build direct data interfaces with the human <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/brain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">brain</a>, earned a breakthrough device designation from the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fda" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Food and Drug Administration (FDA)</a>, which will grant the firm an expedited review process to incorporate the <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/technology" target="_blank" rel="noopener">technology</a> into <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/health-care" target="_blank" rel="noopener">medical</a> applications.
The company is seeking to <a href="https://www.paradromics.com/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">develop</a> an implanted brain-computer interface, also called a BCI, that can function outside of a laboratory to assist patients who lose the physical ability to speak or type, such as those impacted by spinal cord injuries and strokes. The designation from the FDA occurs as Paradromics, which has received $47 million in venture funds and $18 million in federal funds to advance the technology, announces an additional $33 million funding round.
&#8220;This designation recognizes the transformative promise of our device, and we look forward to continued coordination with the FDA to accelerate its availability,” Paradromics CEO Matt Angle said in a <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/paradromics-raises-33-million-in-funding-achieves-breakthrough-medical-device-designation-from-fda-301827969.html?tc=eml_cleartime" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a>. “And this investment validates our leadership position among the small group of BCI platform companies on the verge of commercialization.&#8221;
Paradromics will also seek to address motor and sensory deficits, chronic pain, and mood disorders, as well as treatment-resistant mental illnesses, which the company says represents a $240 billion market in the United States.
Other ventures have noted the various potential applications for brain implants: Neuralink, the brain-computer interface firm started by Elon Musk, also received FDA breakthrough designation for its technology three years ago. The company has repeatedly claimed that human trials would imminently start, although Neuralink has not yet received FDA authorization for the move, according to a recent investigative <a href="https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/neuralink-musk-fda/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from Reuters.
Neuralink posted a job <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musks-neuralink-makes-its-next-move-to-begin-human-trials-for-brain-implants" target="_blank" rel="noopener">advertisement</a> last year for individuals who would “work closely with some of the most innovative doctors” on the company’s first clinical trials, as well as help to “build the team responsible for enabling Neuralink’s clinical research activities and developing the regulatory interactions that come with a fast-paced and ever-evolving environment.”
The worldwide market specific to brain implants is expected to witness a compound annual growth rate above 9% over the next five years, according to an <a href="https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/brain-implants-market" target="_blank" rel="noopener">analysis</a> from Grand View Research. The growing population of senior citizens, who are more likely to suffer from diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, is expected to serve as a key market for the technology.
Deep brain stimulators, which send electrical impulses through electrodes implanted in the brain, currently occupy the largest market share in the broader brain implant space. Increased awareness of the treatment options for neurological movement disorders is expected to accelerate growth in the segment. Vagus nerve stimulators, which send impulses to the brain through the vagus nerve, are expected to grow at the fastest annualized rate.
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News of the advancements in brain-computer interface technology comes as firms rush to develop artificial intelligence solutions. Researchers at the University of Texas in Austin unveiled a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/scientists-unveil-ai-that-can-turn-thoughts-into-written-text" target="_blank" rel="noopener">system</a> earlier this month which uses AI to transform a person’s brain activity into written words. The “semantic decoder” learns how to translate thoughts as the person listens to podcasts and the system concurrently measures brain activity, then produces text that mirrors the meaning of the individual’s thoughts. The system does not require implants but is impractical for use outside of a laboratory.

Paradromics

Rival To Elon Musk’s Neuralink Moves Closer To FDA-Approved Brain Implant

Startup Moves Closer To FDA-Approved Brain Implant

Health Care

Many people who suffer from <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ptsd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post-traumatic stress disorder</a> often relive highly-charged fearful and emotional memories while they sleep, and neuroscientists from Virginia Tech have recently discovered what is behind this phenomenon using models of the brain, the news outlet for Virginia Tech <a href="https://vtx.vt.edu/articles/2023/01/science-sujith_vijayan_neroscience_ptsd_rem_sleep.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The findings provide vital information for creating therapies that could mitigate the effects PTSD has on sleep.
The brain can be very active during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, so much so that Virginia Tech neuroscientist, professor, and co-author of the study, Sujith Vijayan called it “paradoxical sleep.” Combining the high activity of REM sleep with post-traumatic stress disorder, people who suffer from the disorder can relive painful memories “over and over” again, according to Vijayan.
Normally, the brain can bring up emotional memories during REM sleep to cleanse the emotional charge. However, this normal process can malfunction for people who suffer from PTSD, and the result is that painful memories come to mind night after night.
In their study, <a href="https://www.jneurosci.org/content/43/3/433" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published</a> in The Journal of Neuroscience, Vijayan and his team of researchers constructed a biophysical model of the brain where they could simulate neurophysiological functions like communication between different parts of the brain, neurotransmitters, and brain waves.
By adjusting the brain rhythms between the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2907136/#:~:text=The%20prefrontal%20cortex%20(PFC)%20intelligently,brain%20regions%20(BOX%201)." target="_blank" rel="noopener">prefrontal cortex</a> and the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537102/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">amygdala</a> in the model, researchers were able to link lower levels of the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and serotonin with the brain&#8217;s ability to restrain fear and pain-based memories during REM sleep. They further found that those who suffer from PTSD experienced high levels of norepinephrine and serotonin during REM sleep, thus repeatedly causing painful memories to come to mind.
Other studies have shown that the emotional charge of negative memories is mitigated by REM sleep. However, it is still the “wild west” when it comes to understanding how REM sleep works, Vijayan described. “REM sleep is a lot harder to get your hands around. There are really good models out there for how non-REM sleep might consolidate memories and what role it might play in learning and memory. But when we talk about REM, there are no real, good models on how that stuff is happening,” he said.
So, this new model from Vijayan and his team provides quite the insight. Looking at brain wave rhythms between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala, they found that four to eight hertz on the theta range of brain rhythm, which is common for humans, allowed for the greatest strength of communication in the brain. This, in turn, inhibits fear expression cells during sleep.
When researchers adjusted the models to include high levels of norepinephrine and serotonin during REM, four to eight hertz on the theta range of brain rhythm was ineffective at inhibiting fear expression cells. But, they did find that ten hertz was effective at suppressing fear expression cells in the PTSD brain model.
Therapies could be created as a result of the findings, namely covert auditory stimulation, as Vijayan calls it. “That means I’m playing those sounds and you’re not aware of it while you’re sleeping,” he said. “That could be useful for any sort of disorder where sleep is disrupted, not only in PTSD, but in traumatic brain injury or Parkinson’s disease. The idea is that by inducing desired neural dynamics, we can engage the recuperative powers of sleep.”

Close-Up Of Ptsd Text On Orange Background

Why Do PTSD Patients Relive Intense Fear-Based Memories In Sleep? New Models Provide Insight.

New Models Provide Insights Into Why PTSD Patients Relive Intense Fear-Based Memories

Health

Medical Research

PTSD

Virginia Tech

A recent study that compared children’s brain activity between face-to-face interaction and virtual interaction found that electrical activity in the brain is significantly reduced during virtual social interaction, suggesting impairments to childhood cognitive and social development.
<a href="https://neurosciencenews.com/brain-development-tech-communication-22285/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Neuroscience News reported</a> a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811922007984?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> that analyzed the interactions between 62 mother-child pairs, both face-to-face and virtually. The children in the study were ages 10 to 14. Utilizing a process that can simultaneously scan brain activity in multiple subjects, known as hyperscanning, researchers found that brain activity was reduced during virtual interaction via videoconferencing, specifically brain synchrony between the mothers and their children.
Guillaume Dumas, an author of the study and a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Addiction at the University of Montreal, demonstrated earlier in his career that electrical waves in human brains can synchronize during social interactions.
“Inter-brain synchrony is associated with the development of social cognition,” Dumas said. “The resonance between brains enables children to learn to distinguish between self and others, to learn social relationships.”
The study <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811922007984?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> that “live interaction elicited nine significant cross-brain links between densely inter-connected frontal and temporal areas,” whereas “remote interaction elicited only one significant cross-brain-cross-hemisphere link.” The frontal region of the brain is <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/24501-frontal-lobe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">associated</a> with critical thinking, emotions, personality, long-term memory, and many more important functions. The temporal lobe is <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/16799-brain-temporal-lobe-vagal-nerve--frontal-lobe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">associated</a> with auditory processing and short-term memory.
With the disruption to brain-to-brain synchrony, consequences for children’s cognitive development can be expected, especially as it pertains to the brain functions associated with social interaction, according to Dumas. “And these are life-long effects,” he added.
Conclusions from the study call into question the effectiveness of online learning for children and teens. The shift to online learning during the COVID pandemic could result in innumerable consequences for children, given the results of the study. The consequences could also be nearly immeasurable.
Dumas noted that the question of to what extent has the pandemic affected social development in children is “important … but difficult to answer, given that the full effects won’t be known for 10, 15 or 20 years.”
Though the study focused primarily on children, the author noted that the results can be extrapolated out to adults. Lack of brain synchrony in virtual interactions is what likely causes what has been called “Zoom fatigue.” Virtual interactions are more likely to cause fatigue because they can seem “more laborious and less natural,” Dumas said.
The authors of the study conclude that more research is needed on the impact that virtual social interaction has on the human maturation process. But more broadly, the results indicate there are exciting answers to seek out about the neurobiology behind brain-to-brain synchrony.

9CBF1509-0BCA-44A6-A7CE-24D65E2F5039

Virtual Communication Could Impair Childhood Brain Development, Study Suggests

Children's Social Development At Risk From Virtual Communication, Study Suggests

Children's Health

Virtual Reality

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/science" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scientists</a> have discovered a new layer of brain anatomy that both protects and monitors the brain.
The meningeal layer that surrounds the brain was previously thought to consist of three individual layers: dura, arachnoid, and pia matter. However, researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the University of Rochester utilized advanced imaging technology to discover an additional layer they call the Subarachnoid LYmphatic-like Membrane (SLYM), <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-just-uncovered-a-whole-new-layer-of-brain-anatomy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ScienceAlert reported</a>.
<div id="attachment_485139" style="width: 272px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-485139" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-485139 size-medium" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/SLYM-Diagram-262x300.png" alt="" width="262" height="300" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/01/SLYM-Diagram-262x300.png 262w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/01/SLYM-Diagram-504x576.png 504w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/01/SLYM-Diagram.png 612w" sizes="(max-width: 262px) 100vw, 262px" />The Brain’s Membrane with SLYM in green (<a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/multimedia/969911" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Copenhagen</a>)</div>
Most of the research on SLYM has been conducted on mice, but the researchers confirmed the layer’s presence in the human brain, too. The SLYM is just a few cells thick and plays a role in the back-and-forth flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), acting almost like a filter for the good and bad CSF.
&#8220;The discovery of a new anatomic structure that segregates and helps control the flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in and around the brain now provides us much greater appreciation of the sophisticated role that CSF plays not only in transporting and removing waste from the brain, but also in supporting its immune defenses,&#8221; said Maiken Nedergaard, a neuroscientist at the University of Rochester.
Immune cells were discovered in SLYM, indicating that it is a type of mesothelium, which is a membrane that surrounds other human organs such as the heart and lungs. What makes SLYM unique is that it is incredibly thin and delicate, yet it is a tight barrier, EurekAlert! <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/975546" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a>. The immune cells in SLYM keep the central nervous system’s own immune cells out of the brain while simultaneously scanning the brain’s CSF for any signs of infection or other abnormalities, and subsequently flushing them out.
The study, <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adc8810">published in Science</a>, indicates that SLYM responds to aging and inflammation. When damage is detected, “&#8230;the number of [immune cells] increases in response to inflammation and aging,” researchers wrote.
More specifically, “SLYM fulfills the characteristics of a mesothelium by acting as an immune barrier that prevents exchange of small solutes between the outer and inner subarachnoid space compartments and by covering blood vessels in the subarachnoid space,&#8221; wrote professor of neuroanatomy at the University of Copenhagen Kjeld Møllgård, M.D., and colleagues.
Additionally, the brain may receive a bit of protection from the skull thanks to SLYM. Various cardiovascular, respiratory, and head movements subject the brain to potential impacts and friction with the skull, but “SLYM may … reduce friction between the brain and skull” during such jarring physiological activity.
The discovery of SLYM opens up a wide breadth of opportunities to investigate the relationship between the brain, central nervous system, and various diseases. Given SLYM’s response to aging and inflammation, diseases like Alzheimer&#8217;s, multiple sclerosis, and central nervous system infections are of particular interest to how the newly discovered membrane may play a role in them. These observations also raise points of reconsideration for how drugs and gene therapeutics are delivered to the brain.

Scientists Discover An Added Layer Of Complexity To Brain Anatomy, Literally

Scientists Discover A New Layer of Brain Anatomy

Medical

Rochester

Science

A transgender rights organization decided against publishing an article on a &#8220;biological&#8221; theory of transgenderism after backlash from activists. 
TransLucent, a U.K.-based transgender advocacy group, released a <a href="https://twitter.com/TransLucent_Org/status/1602620893922054156?s=20&amp;t=fq87Hvb8dhr3OBnnlcNfPQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> on Tuesday saying it would no longer be publishing a &#8220;groundbreaking article&#8221; that claims &#8220;being trans is a biological condition.&#8221; TransLucent had previously announced its plans to publish the article on Friday, December 16, in a now-deleted Twitter post. After <a href="https://twitter.com/ripx4nutmeg/status/1602744726649987072?s=20&amp;t=TEdY40WqWxzuQ8TV7AS8OQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">receiving</a> hundreds of critical comments, the advocacy group reversed course. Many expressed <a href="https://twitter.com/SimpForSowell/status/1602322391727759361?s=20&amp;t=fq87Hvb8dhr3OBnnlcNfPQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">apprehension</a> that the search to find a biological basis for transgenderism was misguided and could be exploited (with <a href="https://twitter.com/MYST_MX9/status/1602289313588576259?s=20&amp;t=fq87Hvb8dhr3OBnnlcNfPQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">eugenics</a> mentioned as a top concern). 
&#8220;On Sunday, we posted that we would publish an article on Friday regarding being trans is a &#8216;biological condition&#8217; – the phrasing of the tweet was poor,&#8221; said TransLucent. &#8220;The interest has been overwhelming, but many differing concerns have also been raised, and, as a responsible advocacy organization we have listened to all of those concerns. Consequently, we have decided not to publish.&#8221;
TransLucent went on to apologize for any &#8220;disappointment or distress&#8221; the group had caused by merely announcing the article, and reaffirmed its commitment to &#8220;fight on.&#8221; 
Eirnin, a London-based transsexual activist who was able to preview the article, vocally opposed its publication. 
&#8220;This tweet has been causing panic among trans people,&#8221; Eirnin <a href="https://twitter.com/queertyyr/status/1602618731657629696?s=20&amp;t=lOrvphCacBkJCh0K_80lkQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a> on Tuesday, accompanied by a screenshot of TransLucent&#8217;s initial announcement of the article. &#8220;I have been able [to] get early access to the piece – it is, quite frankly, inconsequential and has very little standing.&#8221;
&#8220;I don&#8217;t think it should be published a) because it&#8217;s unhelpful and b) it&#8217;s based on bad, debunked science,&#8221; Eirnin continued. &#8220;I have given the org involved extensive feedback and strongly encouraged that they do not publish this piece.&#8221;
Eirnin said that the article was not peer-reviewed nor written by an expert in the field but was merely a short letter that combined several theories of &#8220;brain sex&#8221; based on &#8220;debunked science.&#8221; 
In the 1990s, when researchers endeavored to find a biological mechanism for homosexuality, there were <a href="https://www.proquest.com/docview/218974843" target="_blank" rel="noopener">concerns</a> that it might lead to eugenicist efforts to eradicate same-sex attraction from the gene pool. More recently, some transgender activists have expressed similar fears. As the author of a 2018 Daily Beast <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-search-for-the-transgender-brain-is-dangerousand-dehumanizing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">article</a> put it, &#8220;The hunt for the &#8216;transgender brain&#8217; is just as fraught as the quest to find a &#8216;gay gene.'&#8221;
&#8220;If published, the article would have been used to hurt us, but carried no valuable or real weight for the trans community,&#8221; said Eirnin. &#8220;It provided no groundbreaking science, would not be considered reputable, and I could not see any value in sharing these ideas in this way.&#8221;
Some scientists were anticipating the article&#8217;s publication, like Samuel Stagg, a U.K.-based Ph.D. student of Neuroimmunology.
&#8220;Genuinely cannot wait for this article!&#8221; Stagg <a href="https://twitter.com/NeuroSGS/status/1602283783796948994?s=20&amp;t=lOrvphCacBkJCh0K_80lkQ">tweeted</a> on Monday. Stagg, whose Master&#8217;s degree was in Molecular Neuroscience at the University of Bristol, has developed an interest in &#8220;brain sex&#8221; arguments, especially as they pertain to the debate surrounding &#8220;gender identity.&#8221;
&#8220;The paper was a review citing the same junk science suggesting gender dysphoria is caused by a brain belonging to that of the opposite sex, a claim repeatedly stated by gender activists,&#8221; Stagg told The Daily Wire. 
In recent years, researchers have studied the brains of transgender individuals for insight into their condition. Some have even <a href="https://consultqd.clevelandclinic.org/the-brain-and-gender-identity-current-evidence-and-implications-for-practice-podcast/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">concluded</a> that the brain structure of transgender individuals more closely resembles their chosen gender identity rather than their natal sex. Stagg contends that these studies failed to account for important confounding variables, such as sexuality.
“There are two main types of transgender persons (homosexual and heterosexual),&#8221; Stagg explained. &#8220;The homosexual sub-group show brains skewed along the male-female dimension, however, this is predominantly due to their co-occurring homosexuality. When we scan the brains of the heterosexual type, we find they are more typical for their natal sex.”
&#8220;This is because sexual orientation correlates with a brain that is sex-atypical (which makes sense given the animal data),&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/NeuroSGS/status/1602718014092328961?s=20&amp;t=TEdY40WqWxzuQ8TV7AS8OQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Stagg. 
<a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/brains-of-gay-people-resemble-those-of-straight-people-of-opposite-sex" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Historically</a>, studies of the brain found that the &#8220;brains of gay people resemble those of the opposite sex.&#8221; In other words, a gay male may have some features of the brain that resemble a straight female&#8217;s brain. Because many transgender individuals are same-sex attracted, it is essential for researchers who study the transgender brain to consider that the evidence for &#8220;gender identity&#8221; may actually be homosexuality.
&#8220;[Researchers] are currently in the process of a higher powered study separating the transgender groups (with larger samples) into heterosexual and homosexual sub-groups,&#8221; Stagg <a href="https://twitter.com/NeuroSGS/status/1602717795879378946?s=20&amp;t=TEdY40WqWxzuQ8TV7AS8OQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">continued.</a> &#8220;Their hypothesis (and mine) is that only the homosexual cohort will be skewed towards female.&#8221;
One might think that transgender activists would celebrate a biological explanation to validate their &#8220;existence.&#8221; But as Manhattan Institute fellow Leor Sapir explains, the transgender community, which on the surface presents as a unified front, is divided into opposing philosophical factions: those propelled by civil rights organizations who seek to prove that being transgender is an &#8220;innate, immutable trait&#8221; for political and legal reasons, and the queer theorists who question the basis of scientific authority.
&#8220;What&#8217;s known as gender ideology, this kind of comprehensive theory of what makes humans male or female is rooted in these two totally contradictory philosophical positions,&#8221; Sapir told The Daily Wire. &#8220;Queer theory, on the one hand, and a kind of gender identity as biological essentialism on the other.&#8221;
After 2015, when same-sex marriage was legalized nationwide, civil rights and gay rights organizations that would have otherwise had to shutter their doors pivoted to championing “trans rights” to retain donors and secure funding. Sapir wrote his Ph.D. <a href="https://dlib.bc.edu/islandora/object/bc-ir:108948" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dissertation</a> on the rapid proliferation of the &#8220;transgender rights movement&#8221; and its efforts to redefine biological sex as &#8220;gender identity,&#8221; or as it&#8217;s sometimes called &#8220;neurological sex&#8221; or &#8220;brain sex.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s not obvious why there would have to be an argument for &#8216;brain sex&#8217; in order to give people the rights to identify as they please,&#8221; Sapir continued. &#8220;But in the American civil rights tradition, if you can convince a judge that being transgender is like being black, then you can tap into this entire body of judicial precedent and civil rights laws that immediately applies and gives you all the policies you want.&#8221;

The girl patient is lying in the tomograph and waiting for a scan. Three doctors from the exam room look at the pictures

Transgender Organization Cancels Publication Of ‘Brain Sex’ Article

Transgender Organization Cancels Publication Of 'Brain Sex' Article 

Transgender

World

Promising work in the field of machine learning indicates that people with severe tetraplegia will have a new way to navigate the world with mind-controlled wheelchairs.
Researchers have found that tetraplegic users can navigate natural, and even cluttered, environments with a powered wheelchair using brain signals communicated to a brain-machine interface (BMI), SciTechDaily <a href="https://scitechdaily.com/not-science-fiction-paralyzed-people-can-navigate-using-mind-controlled-wheelchairs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The primary aim of the study was to demonstrate the reciprocal learning process between users and the BMI algorithm.
“We show that mutual learning of both the user and the brain-machine interface algorithm are both important for users to successfully operate such wheelchairs,” said José del R. Millán, the corresponding author of the study from the University of Texas at Austin. “Our research highlights a potential pathway for improved clinical translation of non-invasive brain-machine interface technology.”
Three participants wore specialized caps that detected their brainwaves through electroencephalography (EEG). Researchers assigned them specific thoughts to indicate directions for the wheelchair. Thoughts of moving both hands indicated moving left, and thoughts of moving both feet indicated moving right. Over the two-to-five month <a href="https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(22)01690-X" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a>, with sessions being three times per week, it was found that not only did the algorithm learn from the users, but the users learned from the machine.
Participants one and three had noticeable changes in their brainwave patterns. Participant one showed 95% accuracy with commands by the end of the study, and participant three showed 98% accuracy — drastic improvements from the beginning, the study notes.
“We see from the EEG results that the subject has consolidated a skill of modulating different parts of their brains to generate a pattern for ‘go left’ and a different pattern for ‘go right,’” said Millán. “We believe there is a cortical reorganization that happened as a result of the participants’ learning process.”
The study advances the opportunities for BMI technology, however, the researchers recognize there is more to learn. The second participant showed relatively stagnant progress in accuracy improvement, suggesting that the mutual learning between user and machine is far from understood. Authors of the study note “more and larger studies are needed” due to its promising results, but also low number of participants.
Artificial intelligence has advanced other areas of life. The technology is now able to <a href="https://www.cancer.gov/news-events/cancer-currents-blog/2022/artificial-intelligence-cancer-imaging" target="_blank" rel="noopener">aid</a> doctors in diagnosing cancer. John Deere has started to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/let-it-run-24-hours-a-day-how-artificial-intelligence-and-automated-tractors-will-change-the-face-of-farming" target="_blank" rel="noopener">roll out</a> automated tractors that <a href="https://youtu.be/QvFoRk4JsPc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">use</a> artificial intelligence for self-driving. Machine learning has even found its way into the world of art with <a href="https://openai.com/dall-e-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dall-E 2</a>, where the machine learning software can generate an image in any style with just a few keywords.
Success with mind-controlled wheelchairs is the latest example of artificial intelligence creating new possibilities and improvements, though it remains a subject of great debate.

Brain Scan

Mind-Controlled Wheelchairs: Study Shows Promising Possibilities For Paralyzed People

Texas

University of Texas

Pennsylvania Democratic senatorial candidate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fetterman-faces-fallout-from-disastrous-debate-worst-performance-by-any-candidate-i-have-ever-seen/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Fetterman</a>&#8216;s disastrous debate performance Tuesday night came despite experiencing most of the improvement he is likely to see following a stroke in May, according to one neurologist.
Clues to the current Keystone State lieutenant governor&#8217;s cognitive problems had arisen before he squared off against Republican <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/former-pennsylvania-governor-who-backed-biden-now-endorses-dr-oz/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dr. Mehmet Oz</a> in their only debate of the campaign. But the extent of Fetterman&#8217;s struggles to hear, process and respond to questions was on full display in the debate, in which he gave a litany of incoherent answers to questions that were displayed for him on a closed captioning system.
“From watching the debate, I do think he has a type of aphasia, specifically a Broca’s aphasia, which essentially means there’s been some type of insult or damage to the part of the brain where language is produced but also language is understood,” Dr. Huma Sheikh, a neurologist specializing in migraines and strokes told NewsNation host Chris Cuomo after the debate. “It’s hard to tell from this how much his comprehension is impaired, because that requires different testing.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Chris Cuomo: &quot;Do you get better?&quot;
Neurologist: &quot;In the first 3-6 months [after a stroke] is where you see the most improvement&#8230;he&#39;s about 6 months out now&#8230;this is probably where he has improved to&#8230;&quot; <a href="https://t.co/cxBPVvdM9Z">pic.twitter.com/cxBPVvdM9Z</a>
&mdash; Townhall.com (@townhallcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1585083668464558080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Sheikh, who serves as <a href="https://profiles.mountsinai.org/huma-sheikh2">assistant professor</a> at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital in New York, said it is possible Fetterman could continue to recover from the stroke he suffered just days before winning the Democratic primary. But most of his improvement have likely already occurred, she said.
&#8220;Essentially what we know is that in the first three to six months is where you see the most improvement,&#8221; Sheikh said. &#8220;There can be some improvement over the next year, but I think he’s about six months out now; this happened in May. So I think if he was doing therapy right after his stroke, this is probably where he has improved to the most.”
When Cuomo asked if Fetterman’s brain function is impaired, Sheikh said it is difficult to know how much he comprehends from his answers.
“In the brain, cognition and language are separated, but there’s so much interaction between them,” she said.
The doctor acknowledged that if she were a voter in Pennsylvania, she would have deployed concerns after watching Fetterman&#8217;s performance.
“I think from seeing what I saw, the fact that he has difficulty in expressing his thoughts, it would make me question: Is that an isolated issue or is there more to it?&#8221; she said. &#8220;It would make me want to gather some more information and have him talk more about what are the issues, be more transparent.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Doctor: Hard to tell if Fetterman&#039;s comprehension impaired | Pennsylvania Senate Debate" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qy5B2_2FWEA?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/confident-oz-and-struggling-fetterman-clash-in-pennsylvania-senate-debate">Confident Oz And Struggling Fetterman Clash In Pennsylvania Senate Debate</a>

Gubernatorial Candidate Josh Shapiro Campaigns With John Fetterman In Philadelphia

Neurologist Who Watched Fetterman Debate Casts Doubt On Prospect For Further Recovery

John Fetterman

Pennsylvania

Stroke

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