How to control someone else's arm with your brain | Greg Gage

Translator: Eva Sarmiento Reviewer: Serv. de Norm. Lingüística U. de Santiago de Compostela

The brain is an amazing and complex organ.

O cerebro é un órgano asombroso e complexo.

And while many people are fascinated by the brain,

E aínda que a algunhas persoas lles fascina o cerebro,

non poden dicir moito sobre as súas propiedades,

they can't really tell you that much

about the properties about how the brain works

sobre como traballa

porque a neurociencia non se ensina nas escolas.

because we don't teach neuroscience in schools.

And one of the reasons why is that the equipment

E unha das razóns polas que isto ocorre

is so complex and so expensive

é que o equipamento é tan complexo e tan caro

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

que só se emprega nas grandes universidades e institucións.

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

Así que, para poder acceder ao cerebro,

you really need to dedicate your life

precisas dedicar a túa vida

and spend six and a half years as a graduate student

e pasar seis anos e medio como estudante de posgrao

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

para ser neurocientífico e ter acceso a estas ferramentas.

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

E iso é unha pena xa que unha de cada cinco persoas,

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

o 20% de todo o mundo, padecerá unha enfermidade neurolóxica.

And there are zero cures for these diseases.

E non existen curas para estas enfermidades.

And so it seems that what we should be doing

Por iso, ó mellor o que deberiamos facer

is reaching back earlier in the eduction process

é comezar antes o proceso de educación

and teaching students about neuroscience so that in the future,

e ensinarlles neurociencia aos estudantes para que no futuro

they may be thinking about possibly becoming a brain scientist.

poidan pensar na posibilidade de converterse en neurocientíficos.

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

Cando era estudante de posgrao, o meu compañeiro Tim Marzullo e eu

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

pensamos que deberiamos coller este complexo equipamento que tiñamos

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

para estudar o cerebro e simplificalo e abaratalo o suficiente

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

como para que calquera afeccionado ou un estudante de ensino medio,

could learn and actually participate in the discovery of neuroscience.

puidese aprender e participar no descubrimento da neurociencia.

And so we did just that.

E así o fixemos.

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

Hai uns anos, fundamos unha compañía chamada Backyard Brains

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

que ofrece uns kits domésticos de equipamento neurocientífico

que trouxen hoxe aquí para facer algunhas demostracións.

and I want to do some demonstrations.

You guys want to see some?

Querédelos ver?

So I need a volunteer.

Necesito un voluntario.

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

Antes de nada-- cal é o teu nome? (Aplausos)

Sam Kelly: Sam.

Sam Kelly: Sam.

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

Greg Gage: Vale, Sam, vou gravar o teu cerebro.

Have you had this before?

Fixéchelo algunha vez?

SK: No.

SK: Non.

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

GG: Necesito que ergas o brazo para a ciencia,

roll up your sleeve a bit,

refúcete un pouco.

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

O que vou facer é pórche eléctrodos no brazo,

and you're probably wondering,

e ti preguntaraste,

dixeches que me ías gravar o cerebro, que fas co meu brazo?

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

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

Tes uns oitenta mil millóns de neuronas no cerebro agora mesmo.

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

Están mandando dun lado para outro mensaxes eléctricas e químicas.

But some of your neurons right here in your motor cortex

Pero algunhas das túas neuronas situadas no teu córtex motor

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

enviarán mensaxes cando movas o brazo deste xeito.

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

Baixarán polo teu corpo caloso,

down onto your spinal cord to your lower motor neuron

pasando pola medula espiñal ata a neurona motora inferior

ata os músculos aquí,

out to your muscles here,

e esa descarga eléctrica será recollida por estes eléctrodos.

and that electrical discharge is going to be picked up

by these electrodes right here

and we're going to be able to listen

Deste xeito poderemos escoitar

to exactly what your brain is going to be doing.

exactamente o que o teu cerebro estará facendo.

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

Vou prender isto un momento...

Have you ever heard what your brain sounds like?

Algunha vez escoitaches o teu cerebro?

SK: Non.

GG: Imos probar. Aperta o puño.

SK: No.

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

(Ruído)

(Rumbling)

So what you're listening to,

O que estás escoitando (Ruído)

so this is your motor units happening right here.

é a túa unidade motora traballando.

Let's take a look at it as well.

Ímoslle botar un ollo.

So I'm going to stand over here,

Eu vou quedar aquí,

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

vou abrir a nosa aplicación.

So now I want you to squeeze.

Agora aperta.

(Rumbling)

(Ruído)

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

Estas son as unidades motoras que xorden da súa medula espiñal

from her spinal cord out to her muscle right here,

ata o seu músculo aquí, e mentres fai iso,

and as she's doing it,

vemos a actividade eléctrica que se xera.

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

Ata podemos facer clic para ver unha delas.

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

Sigue apertando forte.

So keep doing it really hard.

Ímonos deter nun potencial de acción motora

So now we've paused

que se está producindo agora mesmo no teu cerebro.

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

Do you guys want to see some more?

Queredes ver máis?

(Aplausos)

(Applause)

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

Isto foi interesante, pero vai ser aínda mellor.

I need one more volunteer.

Preciso outro voluntario.

What is your name, sir?

Como te chamas?

Miguel Goncalves: Miguel. GG: Miguel, de acordo.

Miguel Goncalves: Miguel.

GG: Miguel, all right.

You're going to stand right here.

Vaste colocar aquí.

So when you're moving your arm like this,

Cando moves o brazo deste xeito

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

o teu cerebro está enviando un sinal aos músculos.

I want you to move your arm as well.

Move ti tamén o brazo.

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

O teu cerebro vaille mandar un sinal aos teus músculos.

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

E resulta que xusto aquí hai un nervio

that runs up here that innervates these three fingers,

que baixa por aquí e inerva estes tres dedos

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

e está tan preto da pel que podemos estimulalo,

to stimulate that so that what we can do

o que nos permite copiar os sinais

is copy your brain signals going out to your hand

que van do teu cerebro á túa man

and inject it into your hand,

e transferilos á túa man,

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

de xeito que a túa man moverase cando o teu cerebro llo diga.

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

En certo sentido, ela quitarache o teu libre albedrío

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

e non terás ningún control sobre a túa propia man.

You with me?

Estás listo?

So I just need to hook you up.

Só teño que conectarte.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

So I'm going to find your ulnar nerve,

Vou buscar o teu nervio ulnar,

which is probably right around here.

que debería estar por aquí.

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

Non sabías no que te estabas metendo cando subiches.

when you come up.

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

Agora voume apartar

e ímonos conectar á interface humano-a-humano.

to our human-to-human interface over here.

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

Entón, Sam, quero que apertes a man outra vez.

Do it again. Perfect.

Outra vez. Perfecto.

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

Agora voute conectar para que recibas o--

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

É algo raro ó principio,

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

é como se-- (Risas)

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

Cando perdes a túa liberdade de decisión,

e outra persoa se converte no teu portavoz é unha cousa un pouco rara.

it does feel a bit strange.

Now I want you to relax your hand.

Agora quero que relaxes a man.

Sam, you're with me?

Sam, estás lista?

So you're going to squeeze.

Aperta a man.

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

Non o vou acender aínda, así que aperta sen medo.

So now, are you ready, Miguel?

Estás listo, Miguel?

MG: Ready as I'll ever be.

MG: Todo o preparado que poida estar.

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

GG: Acabo de acendelo, así que aperta a man.

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

Sentes algo? MG: Non.

GG: Vale, dálle outra vez. MG: Agora un pouco.

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

GG: A little bit? (Laughter)

GG: Un pouco? (Risas)

So relax.

Reláxate.

So hit it again.

Dobra outra vez.

(Laughter)

(Risas).

Oh, perfect, perfect.

Perfecto, perfecto.

So relax, do it again.

Reláxate, faino outra vez.

All right, so right now,

Vale, agora, (Risas)

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

o teu cerebro está controlando o teu brazo e tamén controla o seu,

so go ahead and just do it one more time.

así que dálle unha vez máis.

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

Moi ben, está perfecto. (Risas)

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

E agora que pasaría se eu tomara o control da túa man?

And so, just relax your hand.

Ti simplemente relaxa a man.

What happens?

Que ocorre?

Ah, nothing.

Nada.

Why not?

Por que?

Because the brain has to do it.

Porque o ten que facer o cerebro.

So you do it again.

Así que faino outra vez.

All right, that's perfect.

Iso é, perfecto.

Thank you guys for being such a good sport.

Grazas aos dous pola vosa colaboración.

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

Isto é o que está pasando por todo o mundo--

electrophysiology!

electrofisioloxía!

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

Imos conseguir a neurorrevolución.

Grazas.

Thank you.

(Applause)

(Aplausos)