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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
who gets 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?
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Woman: Sam.
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All right, Sam, I'm going
to record from your brain,
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have you had this before?
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Sam: No.
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Greg Gage: 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 listen 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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Sam: No.
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GG: All right, let's try it out.
So go ahead and squeeze your hand.
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[ sound of neurons]
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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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[neurons]
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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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and 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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Man: 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 enervates
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
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into 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 weird at first,
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this is going to feel like a...
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(Laughter)
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you know, when you loose 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 it,
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I'm not going to turn it on you,
so so ahead and give it a squeeze.
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So now, are you ready, Miguel?
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Miguel: I'm as 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?
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You want to do it again?
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A little bit?
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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.
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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, it'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)