All posts tagged: rewire

The UK’s Answer to Darpa Wants to Rewire the Human Brain

The UK’s Answer to Darpa Wants to Rewire the Human Brain

Published by skeptic

The UK’s Advanced Research and Innovation Agency (ARIA) was established in 2023 with the goal of pursuing “high-risk, high-reward” moonshots in sectors ranging from bolstering food security to new ways of ramping up human immunity. With more than £1 billion (about $1.3 billion) worth of government funding earmarked between now and 2030, one of ARIA’s most ambitious programs is a £69 million initiative that aims to develop more tailored ways of modulating the human brain. The hope is to eventually address an entire range of disorders, from epilepsy to Alzheimer’s. Reports have previously estimated that this suite of neurological conditions costs the UK economy tens of billions of dollars each year. According to ARIA program director Jacques Carolan, the unifying link is that they are all disorders of brain circuitry. “Sometimes there are circuits that are overconnected, that are underconnected, there’s different brain regions that are at play, there’s different cell types,” Carolan said, speaking at WIRED Health in London on April 16. “Our current set of interventions just don’t have the precision we need. …

A New Implant Aims to Rewire Stroke Patients’ Brains

A New Implant Aims to Rewire Stroke Patients’ Brains

Published by skeptic

Stroke is one of the leading causes of long-term disability, with roughly two-thirds of survivors experiencing significant impairments in their hands and arms. While some people eventually regain that function, many live with persistent paralysis or weakness. Epia Neuro, a newly launched startup out of San Francisco, wants to help more stroke patients regain hand function with a brain implant and motorized glove. It’s among a growing number of companies developing brain-computer interfaces, devices that read neural signals from the brain and translate them into specific actions. The space has seen a huge influx of investment in recent years, with Elon Musk’s Neuralink raising $500 million last year and Sam Altman’s Merge Labs emerging from stealth in January with $252 million in funding. Neuralink and others are building devices that give people with severe motor disabilities the ability to control a computer or speak with a digital voice. Epia’s technology aims to help people move their own hands again. “These patients have very weak grip. It’s a very common problem,” says Michel Maharbiz, Epia’s CEO …

A single workout can rewire your brain’s memory circuits

A single workout can rewire your brain’s memory circuits

Published by Jenni Sidey

A brief period of exercise may do more for your brain than you expect. New research led by the University of Iowa shows that even a single workout can rapidly shift how your brain processes memory. The findings offer the first direct look at how exercise changes electrical activity in the human brain tied to learning and recall. For years, scientists believed exercise improved memory, but they lacked direct proof from human brain activity. This study changes that. By recording signals inside the brain, researchers captured real-time changes in neural patterns after physical activity. What they saw suggests your brain becomes more connected and active in key memory networks almost immediately after exercise. A Rare Look Inside the Human Brain Studying brain activity at this level is difficult. Most research relies on imaging tools that track blood flow, not actual electrical signals. These methods show trends but miss the fast bursts of activity that happen in milliseconds. Paradigm, electrode coverage and ripple detection. (CREDIT: Brain Communications) To overcome this, the research team worked with 14 …

Can You Rewire Your ADHD Brain?

Can You Rewire Your ADHD Brain?

Published by Jenni Sidey

Can you really change how an ADHD brain works? Absolutely, but it is not just about trying harder or forcing yourself to focus. Real progress happens when your environment supports consistent action. Take something as simple as doing laundry. Most people understand the steps. You sort the clothes, start the washer, move them to the dryer, fold them, and put everything away. This process begins in the prefrontal cortex, where the task is planned. From there, the brain sends signals to initiate action. For someone with ADHD, the issue is not a lack of understanding. The difficulty often lies in bridging the gap between intention and action. You may know exactly what needs to be done and even plan to start. However, before you begin, your attention shifts. It could be a thought, a distraction, or another task that suddenly feels more urgent. The original task gets pushed aside and is often forgotten. By the end of the day, it remains unfinished, which can lead to frustration and self-doubt. Why Structure Matters More Than Motivation …

The hobby that can rewire your brain and help you build resilience

The hobby that can rewire your brain and help you build resilience

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Ordinary and universal, the act of writing changes the brain. From dashing off a heated text message to composing an op-ed, writing allows you to, at once, name your pain and create distance from it. Writing can shift your mental state from overwhelm and despair to grounded clarity — a shift that reflects resilience. Psychology, the media and the wellness industry shape public perceptions of resilience: Social scientists study it, journalists celebrate it, and wellness brands sell it. They all tell a similar story: Resilience is an individual quality that people can strengthen with effort. The American Psychological Association defines resilience as an ongoing process of personal growth through life’s challenges. News headlines routinely praise individuals who refuse to give up or find silver linings in times of hardship. The wellness industry promotes relentless self-improvement as the path to resilience. In …

From infinite scroll to infinite worlds: How AI could rewire Gen Z’s attention span

From infinite scroll to infinite worlds: How AI could rewire Gen Z’s attention span

Published by Jenni Sidey

Sign up for Big Think on Substack The most surprising and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every week, for free. Members of Gen Z have grown up hearing that our attention spans are shrinking and that our lives will be defined by the eight-second scroll and an endless stream of content. The narrative is that we’re so addicted to the instant gratification of platforms like TikTok that we’ve lost the capacity for deep, sustained focus.  But what if the next wave of artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t designed to feed that addiction — but to fundamentally change it? What if the future of AI demands young people’s attention, curiosity, and creativity in ways we haven’t experienced before? As the co-founder of Chima, an applied AI research lab, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the emerging concept of “world models,” AI systems that can generate interactive, dynamic environments from a simple prompt. Google DeepMind’s Genie 3, for example, can create a navigable, consistent 3D world from a single sentence, while Fei-Fei Li’s new …

Early life adversity may fundamentally rewire global brain dynamics

Early life adversity may fundamentally rewire global brain dynamics

Published by José Betancourt

Traumatic experiences during infancy and childhood can leave a lasting imprint on an individual’s health. New research indicates that these adverse events may fundamentally reorganize how the brain functions across its entire network, rather than just in isolated areas. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals that early life adversity predisposes the adult brain to a state of heightened activity and alters how it responds to threats later in life. The persistent impact of childhood hardship on adult mental health is a well-established concept in psychology and neuroscience. Researchers have previously identified links between neglect or abuse and conditions such as anxiety, depression, and addiction. However, the specific biological mechanisms that drive these vulnerabilities remain difficult to pinpoint. Past investigations often focused on individual brain regions. This approach left a gap in understanding how different areas of the brain coordinate with one another after trauma. To address this, a team of researchers sought to map brain-wide activity in adults who experienced adversity as infants. The study was led by …

Restoring a specific protein could rewire the brain in Down syndrome

Restoring a specific protein could rewire the brain in Down syndrome

Published by José Betancourt

Delivering a connection-building protein to star-shaped cells in the brain could reverse changes to neural circuits seen in Down syndrome, according to new research my colleagues and I published in the journal Cell Reports. Down syndrome is caused by an error in cell division during development. Individuals receive three copies of chromosome 21 instead of the typical two copies, resulting in duplicates of the genes encoded on chromosome 21. This trisomy leads to a multitude of changes to heart and immune function as well as neurodevelopmental impairments. Changes to the structure of neurons in people with Down syndrome alter how they connect with each other. One major type of brain cell called astrocytes helps form connections between neurons. These star-shaped cells have many thin arms that extend into the spaces between neurons. They also secrete various proteins that are vital to forming the proper neural connections necessary for brain function. Researchers have found that mouse models of several neurodevelopmental disorders, including Down syndrome, have altered levels of astrocyte proteins during development. My colleagues and I …

The hobby that can rewire your brain and help you build resilience

Writing: The hobby that can rewire your brain and help you build resilience

Published by Daniella Wilson

Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Ordinary and universal, the act of writing changes the brain. From dashing off a heated text message to composing an op-ed, writing allows you to, at once, name your pain and create distance from it. Writing can shift your mental state from overwhelm and despair to grounded clarity — a shift that reflects resilience. Psychology, the media and the wellness industry shape public perceptions of resilience: Social scientists study it, journalists celebrate it, and wellness brands sell it. They all tell a similar story: Resilience is an individual quality that people can strengthen with effort. The American Psychological Association defines resilience as an ongoing process of personal growth through life’s challenges. News headlines routinely praise individuals who refuse to give up or find silver linings in times of hardship. The wellness …