Memory Map

Guest author Elizabeth Buchen is a neuroscientist and science writer, and a member of the Lumos Labs science advisory board. Below she describes new research examining how the brain stores a spatial map of the local environment, and how this map might be updated by new information. Visit Madam Fathom to read more about the biological basis of mind.

Imagine being home on a moonless night when the power unexpectedly goes out. You are shrouded by silent darkness, instantly blind to your surroundings. Yet despite this sensory deprivation, you can navigate somewhat effortlessly around the futon, through the doorway of the kitchen, and across to the middle drawer where your lighter is stored, avoiding walls, furniture, and other familiar obstacles along the way. How, without vision or echolocation, did you remember where everything was in relation you and to everything else?

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Play the pain away: Video games for better health

We know that little Johnny would be better off making some friends and playing outside instead of being coddled by his PlayStation. But for some kids, an engrossing video game is just what the doctor ordered.

Video games have been used with some success for pain management in children. This works primarily by providing a captivating distraction from the discomfort. In cancer patients, playing video games can mitigate the nausea that comes with chemotherapy. Even after treatment, patients that played video games had a  lower systolic blood pressure and required fewer analgesics. [Note that Stanford researchers are currently evaluating the possibility that cognitive deficits due to chemotherapy can be reversed with Lumosity exercises. Visit the chemobrain research page to learn more.]

Though sometimes criticized for inciting violence and displacing more worthwhile activities, if gaming is approached in moderation and with a modicum of maturity it is safe for most people.

Caveman not smart enough to get schizophrenia

Most of the time it’s a good thing that the human brain has a great ongoing capacity to learn and change. It allows useful adaptation throughout the lifespan and the development of complex skills like language. But it’s possible that this long period of plasticity also exposes the brain to psychiatric illness such as schizophrenia. A new theory posits that Neanderthals were immune to schizophrenia because of the simplicity and short development period of their brain.

Lee Seldon, the author of this theory, said “because of the long maturation time [of modern-day human brains], environmental factors have more time to exert modifying influences on the final outcome.” He suggests that if we had a short window of development opportunity, like the Neanderthals, “we would not have such well-developed language and we would likely not have so much schizophrenia.” (Seldon quotes derived from the Discovery article, Study: Neanderthal Brain Less Troubled.)

And the winner is…

Thanks for helping us select a logo! (Refer here to review the options, which were created by Michelle Williamson.)

The people (n=813) have spoken, and the winning logo is #3:

Expect to start seeing this soon on our website, all over the web, tv, billboards, dreams…

Option #3: 301 votes
Option #2: 237 votes (There were some convincing arguments for #2, but I’m guessing there would be more for #3 if it wasn’t already winning throughout the poll.)
Option #4: 190 votes
Option #1: 85 votes

Super robot limbs

Oscar Pistorius, who lost both legs as an infant and then began running just 3 years ago, wants a spot in the 2008 Olympic 200m. Amazingly, at 21.58s he’s within 1 second of the qualifying time. He uses artificial limbs called Cheetahs (italicized to indicate speed), which, though they are just passive extensions of his legs attached below the knee, have elicited criticisms that they may give him an extra long stride and unfair advantage. Due to this ambiguity, the IAAF intends to block him from Olympic competition.

In actuality, people using artificial limbs have very few advantages. Even if Oscar’s Cheetahs really do help him sprint 200m, he couldn’t do it well in wind or rain, and activities as simple and critical to daily life as walking require substantially more energy. Existing prostheses generally suffer from being energy inefficient, and lack fine control and feedback.

Jeff Weber, working in the Biomechatronics Group within the MIT Media Lab, designs advanced prostheses to help amputees approach a normal life. His Active Ankle-Foot
Prosthesis uses an elegant system of springs to store energy with each stride, and motors to facilitate a natural and efficient gait. It is 20% more efficient than existing prostheses. Director of the lab, Hugh Herr, demonstrated the powered prosthesis for the first time just a few weeks ago.

This prosthesis will be a boon when it becomes available soon through Iwalk, but the Biomechatronics Group is already working on the next
generation of prostheses, which will interface with nerves for a more intelligent artificial limb. I learned from Jeff that it’s actually fairly easy
to interpret neural signals for this purpose – the real challenge is in accurately detecting them. To this end, one potential solution involves
injecting tiny capsules near the appropriate nerves to pick up and transmit a signal.

Think of the fun you could have with sensors that transmit your whims to nearby robotics… The peripheral nervous system goes wireless!

#1 Cognitive neuroscience blog!

Madam Fathom, a neuroscience blog written by one of the Lumos Labs science advisors, was just selected as the "Best Cognitive Neuroscience Blog" by PsyBlog. Madam Fathom writes about the coolest and most important new findings in neuroscience, including a rich context to help us understand the relevance.

Why do synesthetes perceive black numbers in color? How did 3 female sharks make a baby without a male? Are older people better able to cope with financial loss? Madam explains the biological basis of these phenomena in a way that makes cutting-edge neuroscience accessible to all.

And be sure to check out her post about brain plasticity and Lumos Labs’ research on Lumosity!

Lumosity on TechCrunch

TechCrunch, a very popular weblog that reviews new internet products, just published a story on Lumosity.

See the write-up "Get Smart, Play Lumosity" by Duncan Riley.

Lumosity Logo

Lumosity needs help selecting a logo! Michelle Williamson, who also designed our new website, has provided the following options. We’re trying to decide which one to use, so it would be great to get your opinion by voting with the poll to the right.

Option #1:

Option #2:

Option #3:

Option #4: