There are similes between these two : Internet
and Human Brain. Both are network of networks. Perhaps the idea
of internet must have come from the brain's way of functioning.
Human brain is the most complex and
mysterious organ in the universe. It is a three pound mass of jelly
with 100 billion neurons, each capable of making up to ten thousand
connections with fellow neurons.
Some years ago,
Indian origin Professor Rajesh Rao of University of Washington
has achieved a breakthrough. He established a 'brain to brain communication'
link using the Internet.
According to the experiment, 'brain to brain' connection was established
between two persons sitting in different buildings. The signal from the
sender's brain using EEG ( machine that records electrical activity of brain )
was interpreted by a computer and transmitted over Internet to a TSM machine
(transcranial magnetic stimulation - a non-invasive method of brain stimulation
that relies on electromagnetic induction using an insulated coil placed over
the scalp, focused on an area of the brain thought to play a role in mood
regulation) which delivered a magnetic impulse to the receiver's brain.
The experiment proved that the human brain is capable of sending a signal to
another person for motor action, like hand moving. It
triggers new hopes of treating cognitive disorders such as
autism.
Prof Rao's has a lofty goal of
discovering the computational principles underlying the brain's remarkable
ability to learn, process and store information, and to apply this knowledge to
the task of building adaptive robotic systems and brain-computer
interfaces. Brain research is an
evolving science which helps to harness
our powers to reach greater heights in life !
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