| [0.000 --> 19.240] The Brain is an amazing and complex organ. And while many people are fascinated by the | |
| [19.240 --> 22.680] brain, they can't really tell you that much about the properties about how the brain | |
| [22.680 --> 28.040] works because we don't teach neuroscience in schools. And one of the reasons why is | |
| [28.040 --> 33.680] that the equipment is so complex and so expensive, that it's really only done at major universities | |
| [33.680 --> 38.360] and large institutions. And so in order to be able to access the brain, you really need | |
| [38.360 --> 42.520] to dedicate your life and spend six and a half years as a graduate student, just become | |
| [42.520 --> 47.040] a neuroscience, just get access to these tools. And that's a shame because one out of five | |
| [47.040 --> 52.240] of us, that's 20% of the entire world will have a neurologist disorder. And there are zero | |
| [52.240 --> 57.520] cures for these diseases. And so it seems that what we should be doing is sort of reaching | |
| [57.520 --> 62.360] back earlier in the education process and sort of teaching students about neuroscience. | |
| [62.360 --> 67.200] And so that in the future, they may be thinking about possibly becoming a brain scientist. | |
| [67.200 --> 72.840] And so when I was a graduate student, my lab mate Tim Marzulo and myself decided that | |
| [72.840 --> 77.040] what if we took this complex equipment that we have for studying the brain and made it | |
| [77.040 --> 82.760] simple enough and affordable enough that anyone, you know, an amateur or a high school student | |
| [82.760 --> 86.760] could learn and actually participate in the discovery of neuroscience. And so we did | |
| [86.760 --> 91.760] just that. A few years ago, we started a company called Backyard Brains and we make DIY | |
| [91.760 --> 97.080] neuroscience equipment. And I brought some here tonight and I want to do some demonstrations, | |
| [97.080 --> 103.000] you guys want to see some. All right. All right. So I need a volunteer. So right before, | |
| [103.000 --> 109.280] what is your name? All right. Sam, I'm going to record from your brain. Have you had | |
| [109.280 --> 114.160] this before? Okay. I need you to stick out your arm for science. Roll up your sleeve a bit. | |
| [114.160 --> 117.720] All right. And so what I'm going to do, I'm putting electrodes on your arm and you're | |
| [117.720 --> 120.720] probably wondering, I just said I'm going to record from your brain. What am I doing with | |
| [120.720 --> 126.360] your arm? Well, we, you have about 80 billion neurons inside your brain right now. There's | |
| [126.360 --> 131.000] something electrical messages back and forth and chemical messages. But some of your neurons, | |
| [131.000 --> 134.800] right here in your motor cortex are going to send messages down when you move your arm | |
| [134.800 --> 138.600] like this. You're going to go down across your corpus close them down on your spinal cord | |
| [138.600 --> 143.000] to your lower motor neuron out to your muscles here. And that is electrical discharge. It's | |
| [143.000 --> 147.240] going to be picked up by these electrodes right here. And we're going to be able to listen | |
| [147.240 --> 151.360] to exactly what your brain is going to be doing. So I'm going to turn this on for a second. | |
| [151.360 --> 155.240] Have you ever heard what your brain sounds like? All right. Let's turn on. So go ahead. | |
| [155.240 --> 160.760] I'm going to be going to squeeze your hand. All right. So what's your listening to? | |
| [160.760 --> 165.480] So this is your motor units that are happening right here. Okay. So let's take a look at | |
| [165.480 --> 172.280] it as well. So I'm going to stand over here. I'm going to open up our app here. So now | |
| [172.280 --> 177.080] I want you to squeeze. Yeah. So right here, these are the motor units that are happening | |
| [177.080 --> 180.640] from her spinal cord out to her muscle right here. And as she's doing it, you're seeing | |
| [180.640 --> 184.200] the electrical activity is happening here. We're giving click here and try to see one of | |
| [184.200 --> 188.040] them. So keep doing it really, really hard. Yes. And now we've paused in one motor | |
| [188.040 --> 193.800] accidental that's happening right now inside of your brain. Okay. Do you guys want to | |
| [193.800 --> 199.400] see some more? All right. That's interesting. But let's get it better. Okay. I need one more | |
| [199.400 --> 207.240] volunteer. Okay. What is your name, sir? Miguel. Miguel. All right. You're going to stand | |
| [207.240 --> 211.000] right here. So when you're moving your arm like this, your brain is sending a signal down | |
| [211.000 --> 215.520] to your muscles right here. I want you to move your arm as well. All right. So your brain | |
| [215.520 --> 220.840] is going to send a signal down to your muscles. And so it turns out that there is a nerve | |
| [220.840 --> 224.840] that's right here that runs up here that innervages these three fingers. And it's close | |
| [224.840 --> 230.040] enough to the skin that we might be able to stimulate that so that we can do is copy | |
| [230.040 --> 234.880] your brain signal. It's going out to your hand and inject it into your hand so that your | |
| [234.880 --> 239.200] hand will move when your brain tells your hand to move. And so in a sense, she will take | |
| [239.200 --> 244.160] away your free will and you will no longer have any control over this hand. Okay. You | |
| [244.160 --> 250.400] with me? All right. So I need to need to hook you up. All right. So I'm going to find | |
| [250.400 --> 255.480] your ulmar nerve, which is probably right around here. You don't know what you're signing | |
| [255.480 --> 260.120] up for when you come up. So I'm going to move away and I'm going to plug it into our human | |
| [260.120 --> 268.240] to human interface over here. Okay. So Sam wants you to squeeze your hand again. All | |
| [268.240 --> 273.240] right? Do it again. All right. Perfect. So now I'm going to hook you up over here so | |
| [273.240 --> 276.160] that you get the stimulus. It's going to feel a little bit weird at first. This is going | |
| [276.160 --> 282.280] to feel like a... You know, when you lose your free will and someone else becomes your | |
| [282.280 --> 286.720] agent, it does feel a bit strange. So I want you to relax your hand. All right. And Sam, | |
| [286.720 --> 289.120] you're with me. All right. So you're going to squeeze. I'm not going to turn on you. | |
| [289.120 --> 293.760] So go ahead and give it a squeeze. All right. So now are you ready Miguel? | |
| [294.400 --> 299.360] Ready as I'll ever be. Okay. So I've turned it on. So go ahead and turn your hand. Do you | |
| [299.360 --> 306.400] feel that a little bit? No. Okay. Do it again. A little bit. Okay. So relax. No, do it again. | |
| [306.400 --> 314.880] Okay. Oh, perfect. Perfect. All right. So relax. Do it again. All right. So now... All right. So | |
| [314.880 --> 319.680] right now your brain is controlling your arm and it's also controlling his arm. So go ahead and | |
| [319.680 --> 325.520] just do it one more time. All right. So that's perfect. So now what would happen if I took over my | |
| [325.520 --> 335.440] control of your hand and so just relax your hand? What happens? Nothing. Why not? Because the brain | |
| [335.440 --> 340.800] has to do is... Now you do it again. All right. It's perfect. All right. Well, thank you guys for | |
| [340.800 --> 346.080] being such a good sport. This is what's happening all across the world. Electrophysiology. We're going | |
| [346.080 --> 348.080] to be out in the Neural Revolution. Thank you. | |