WEBVTT

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The brain is an amazing and complex organ.

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And while many people
are fascinated by the brain,

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they can't really tell you that much

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about the properties
about how the brain works

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because we don't teach
neuroscience in schools.

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And one of the reasons
why is that the equipment

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is so complex and so expensive

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that it's really only done at major
universities and large institutions.

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And so in order to be able
to access the brain,

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you really need to dedicate your life

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and spend six and a half years
as a graduate student

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just to become a neuroscientist
to get access to these tools.

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And that's a shame
because one out of five of us,

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that's 20 percent of the entire world,
will have a neurological disorder.

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And there are zero cures
for these diseases.

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And so it seems that
what we should be doing

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is reaching back earlier
in the eduction process

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and teaching students about neuroscience
so that in the future,

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they may be thinking about possibly
becoming a brain scientist.

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When I was a graduate student,
my lab mate Tim Marzullo and myself,

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decided that what if we took
this complex equipment that we have

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for studying the brain and made it simple
enough and affordable enough

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that anyone that you know, an amateur
or a high school student,

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could learn and actually participate
in the discovery of neuroscience.

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And so we did just that.

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A few years ago, we started
a company called Backyard Brains

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and we make DIY neuroscience equipment
and I brought some here tonight,

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and I want to do some demonstrations.

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You guys want to see some?

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So I need a volunteer.

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So right before -- what is your name?
(Applause)

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Sam Kelly: Sam.

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Greg Gage: All right, Sam, I'm going
to record from your brain.

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Have you had this before?

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SK: No.

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GG: I need you to stick out
your arm for science,

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roll up your sleeve a bit,

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So what I'm going to do,
I'm putting electrodes on your arm,

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and you're probably wondering,

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I just said I'm going to record from your
brain, what am I doing with your arm?

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Well, you have about 80 billion neurons
inside your brain right now.

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They're sending electrical messages
back and forth, and chemical messages.

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But some of your neurons
right here in your motor cortex

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are going to send messages down
when you move your arm like this.

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They're going to go down
across your corpus callosum,

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down onto your spinal cord
to your lower motor neuron

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out to your muscles here,

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and that electrical discharge
is going to be picked up

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by these electrodes right here

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and we're going to be able to listen

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to exactly what your brain
is going to be doing.

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So I'm going to turn this on for a second.

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Have you ever heard
what your brain sounds like?

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SK: No.

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GG: Let's try it out.
So go ahead and squeeze your hand.

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(Rumbling)

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So what you're listening to,

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so this is your motor units
happening right here.

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Let's take a look at it as well.

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So I'm going to stand over here,

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and I'm going to open up our app here.

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So now I want you to squeeze.

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(Rumbling)

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So right here, these are the motor units
that are happening

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from her spinal cord
out to her muscle right here,

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and as she's doing it,

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you're seeing the electrical activity
that's happening here.

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You can even click here
and try to see one of them.

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So keep doing it really hard.

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So now we've paused

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on one motor action potential that's
happening right now inside of your brain.

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Do you guys want to see some more?

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(Applause)

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That's interesting,
but let's get it better.

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I need one more volunteer.

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What is your name, sir?

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Miguel Goncalves: Miguel.

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GG: Miguel, all right.

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You're going to stand right here.

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So when you're moving your arm like this,

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your brain is sending a signal
down to your muscles right here.

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I want you to move your arm as well.

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So your brain is going to send
a signal down to your muscles.

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And so it turns out that there is
a nerve that's right here

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that runs up here that innervates
these three fingers,

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and it's close enough to the skin
that we might be able

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to stimulate that so that what we can do

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is copy your brain signals
going out to your hand

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and inject it into your hand,

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so that your hand will move
when your brain tells your hand to move.

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So in a sense, she will take away
your free will

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and you will no longer have
any control over this hand.

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You with me?

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So I just need to hook you up.

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(Laughter)

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So I'm going to find your ulnar nerve,

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which is probably right around here.

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You don't know what you're signing up for

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when you come up.

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So now I'm going to move away
and we're going to plug it in

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to our human-to-human interface over here.

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Okay, so Sam, I want you
to squeeze your hand again.

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Do it again. Perfect.

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So now I'm going to hook you up
over here so that you get the --

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It's going to feel
a little bit weird at first,

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this is going to feel like a --
(Laughter)

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You know, when you lose your free will,
and someone else becomes your agent,

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it does feel a bit strange.

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Now I want you to relax your hand.

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Sam, you're with me?

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So you're going to squeeze.

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I'm not going to turn it on yet,
so go ahead and give it a squeeze.

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So now, are you ready, Miguel?

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MG: Ready as I'll ever be.

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GG: I've turned it on, so go ahead
and turn your hand.

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Do you feel that a little bit?
MG: Nope.

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GG: Okay, do it again?
MG: A little bit.

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GG: A little bit? (Laughter)

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So relax.

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So hit it again.

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(Laughter)

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Oh, perfect, perfect.

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So relax, do it again.

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All right, so right now,

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your brain is controlling your arm
and it's also controlling his arm,

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so go ahead and just do it one more time.

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All right, so it's perfect. (Laughter)

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So now, what would happen
if I took over my control of your hand?

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And so, just relax your hand.

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What happens?

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Ah, nothing.

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Why not?

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Because the brain has to do it.

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So you do it again.

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All right, that's perfect.

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Thank you guys for being
such a good sport.

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This is what's happening
all across the world --

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electrophysiology!

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We're going to bring on
the neuro-revolution.

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Thank you.

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(Applause)