NEWRON: Vol IV, Issue IV

[Natan Davidovics]

NeuroEngineering Weekly Review Of News

Talking with words is a pretty convenient method of communication, but don't you feel like it just takes too much effort sometimes?  Leave it to neuroengineers to solve that problem.  Is it too early to declare that mankind has developed ESP?  You decide (article 1).

-Thanks to Dr. Thakor for submitting an article this week

Interesting NeuroEngineering links:

Hopkins Neuroengineering web site: http://neuroengineering.bme.jhu.edu
New job blog: http://neuroengjobs.blogspot.com/
Blog for administrative questions: http://neuroengineering.blogspot.com
NEWRON on the web!: http://neuroengineering.bme.jhu.edu/Home/newron

Enjoy,
Natan Davidovics CEO
NEWRON Publishing Corporation

Person-to-person communication through the power of thought alone

http://www.rdmag.com/Information-Tech-Person-to-person-communication-through-the-power-of-thought-alone/

New research from the University of Southampton has demonstrated that it is possible for communication from person to person through the power of thought alone.  Brain-Computer Interfacing (BCI) can be used for capturing brain signals and translating them into commands that allow humans to control (just by thinking) devices such as computers, robots, rehabilitation technology and virtual reality environments.

Nicotine Creates Stronger Memories, Cues To Drug Use

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/163438.php

Ever wonder why former smokers miss lighting up most when they are in a bar or after a meal with friends?   Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine say nicotine, the addictive component in cigarettes, "tricks" the brain into creating memory associations between environmental cues and smoking behavior. The findings appear in the current issue of the journal Neuron.


Cells Respond to Laser Light

http://www.photonics.com/Content/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=39827&refer=bio&utm_source=bio_2009_10_6&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=bio

A hybrid protein has been created that causes mouse cells to move in response to laser light. Such cells can be trained to follow a light beam or stop on command.

This is the first time researchers have been able to import a light-controlled “on-off switch” from plants into a mammalian cell to instantly control a variety of cell functions, the researchers said. As such, it offers both a powerful new tool in cancer and cardiovascular research, and the potential to ultimately control complex processes such as nerve growth.