4 ms·

I mean, we can't really completely inspect a working brain to see what's happening. To get that level of inspection, we'd need to dig into the brain while it is

by stinos 5y ago

I mean, we can't really completely inspect a working brain to see what's happening. To get that level of inspection, we'd need to dig into the brain while it is functioning. Unfortunately, this kills the patient Leave out the completely and it's a different story though: it's perfectly possible to 'dig in while functioning' i.e. inspect small parts using electrode arrays and that will not kill the patient and only do minimal damage (the couple of cells killed by that are nothing in comparison with the entirety). Non-invasive fMRI techniques also have come a long way but temporal resolution is low. But as you say: difficult, slow, and by no means a 'complete' view. On the other hand: no idea how one would even begin to handle the insane amount of data which would come from inspecting a complete brain. So what goes on now, tackling smaller areas/connections thereof one by one, is not even that bad of an approach.

bena 5y ago
That's kind of why I said completely. Our ability to know how a brain works on the level of how well we know, say, the combustion engine works is severely limited by the fact that we're dealing with living beings and that the state of consciousness of the subject matters.
- stinos 5y ago
  That's kind of why I said completely. Sort of, but to people not knowing anything about it it might sound as if it's impossible to do anything at all in vivo so I added some information about what is possible if you do not want a 'complete' recording.
- smegger001 5y ago
  yup to understand it we would have to take apart and experiment distructively on working one which woud be un ethical. reminds me of a argument i had with my sister a psych major about whether psychology is a actually a science. her answer was it could be but it would break to many laws, violate human rights and ethics boards would frown at you for cloning hundreds of humans to raise in identical situations to do a/b testing on.

by stinos 5y ago

bena 5y ago

That's kind of why I said completely. Our ability to know how a brain works on the level of how well we know, say, the combustion engine works is severely limited by the fact that we're dealing with living beings and that the state of consciousness of the subject matters.

stinos 5y ago
That's kind of why I said completely. Sort of, but to people not knowing anything about it it might sound as if it's impossible to do anything at all in vivo so I added some information about what is possible if you do not want a 'complete' recording.
smegger001 5y ago
yup to understand it we would have to take apart and experiment distructively on working one which woud be un ethical. reminds me of a argument i had with my sister a psych major about whether psychology is a actually a science. her answer was it could be but it would break to many laws, violate human rights and ethics boards would frown at you for cloning hundreds of humans to raise in identical situations to do a/b testing on.