“Synapses, neurons and brains”

Synapses, Neurons and Brains

I took the course which started in March 2013 and was 9 weeks long. 
We were in Samui, Thailand. 

Ok! So this is my challenging class! Biophysics… "Just not my domain" is what comes sometimes in my mind... But at the same time, studying the brain today requires to be able to cross disciplines and I like that holistic approach very much… Be ready for some biophysics, math, electricity, psychology among others…

And... Yes! I did pass the final exam from the first attempt (out of 3) and chose not use my 2 last chances.
Thanks Professor Idan Segev for having made this course accessible! 

Idan Segev is passionate about the subject and he shares his enthusiasm! And he is an important collaborator in the Blue Brain Project. He is also highly interested in Art/Sciences. Fascinating!

Here is the link to the Brain Project: The Human Brain project is very promising and fascinating!





You can find some videos of Idan Segev on the internet and here is one of them:

Tips to succeed in this course:

1. Take detail hand notes if you have never studied hard sciences before.
For this course, I felt I had to take  hand notes to deeply understand and remember the course. I don't think I have ever taken so detailed notes for a course... without even using abbreviations. This page from my note book will give you an little idea. This content corresponds to what you will learn the first weeks


2. Weekly quizzes are important... Work on them even after passing them successfully.

3. Interact on the forum:
Let's say that you are more turned towards humanities than hard science, then you might, I only say might mind you, you might get a bit frustrated at some point in the course. But, hold on tight! I bet you won't regret it! Maybe it is a good idea to go on the forum or discuss on Facebook about subjects you love which interconnect with biophysics and neuroscience.

4. Side material:
The course is great, but do not hesitate to look for more material! You will find a few very accessible videos if you scroll down.


So now that I have taken this course, my brain connections are quite different!
Synapses have grown and made new links due to my learning.
I have different connectoms! I am another person in a way!

Side material:

Please note that all the material you will find in the following section are not links that have been provided by Idan Segev apart from the video "I am my connectoms".

In the first section, you will find interesting Ted Talks related to neuroscience.
In the second section, you will find a collection of information useful to discuss the issue of free will.
Note that the professor thinks that we do not have free will.

I. Interesting videos on Ted. which are all a good introduction to neurosciences:

Now, here are a few Ted talks I had watched prior to taking that course... I can only recommend them to you:

"I am my connectoms":

"Allan Jones, a Map of the Brain":

"Antonio Damasio, a quest to understand consciousness":

"A stroke from the inside"... One of my favorite talks... Hum... Maybe even my favorite talk... 

II. Neurosciences and Art: 

Here is an article edited by Idan Segev about art:
Connecting art and the brain: an artist’s perspective on visual indeterminacy

I love studying about colors. So here was a "not to miss" talk for me:
"I listen to colors":

Where does imagination comes from?

I created a post on the forum of the course. People started to answer back and forth... And someone sent me this very interesting link to Scientific American about glial cells: The Root of Thought: What do Glial Cells do?

  

II. The question of free will

Let's go all the way to the last lesson... Lesson 9... I was hooked by the question of free will on the forum. Just a few days ago, our professor of "Know Thy Self" from the University of Virginia in partnership with Coursera was explaining that free will is a reality. He explained that freedom of action and freedom of will are two different things. And we can freely change our will by taking small steps towards a certain direction in order to obtain freedom of will.

Now this week, Professor Idan Segev was saying very clearly that there was no such thing as free will according to neuroscience but that it was useful for society to think so. Well, yes, if you believe in free will tend to behave in more positive ways in society... Hum... Sound in a way sort of a contradiction, no? 

Let's start with a few links on free will... 

I chose material defending very different points of views on the subject... 

1. Jim Fallon: exploring the mind of a killer:

2. Neuroscience and Free will. Libet's experiment:

3. Gut Feelings: Bacteria and the Brain:

Follow this link (The DANA Foundation) to discover how bacteria has a strong impact on your feelings and behavior:

4. Big Think: Free will, Michio Kaku

5. The case for free will:

I would enjoy reading your thoughts on the subject! 

Personally, on a day to day bases, I believe in freewill, or put it that way, my body believes in freewill. 

When I start to ask myself the question, I do hesitate and like Diderot and cannot make up clearly my opinion. But I have to admit, I prefer Michio Kaku's view. From what I have understood about quantum physics, I think he might be right. 

Thing is quantum physics leads to string theory and string theory despite the recent discovery of the Boson of Higgs is still a theory. But, I feel that we are on the merge of a shift of paradigms. 

If such thing happen, we will be able to work on proving or rejecting theories based on the string theory...

Here is a video on quantum physics:

The Simulated Universe

One theory of the string theory says that we might be in a simulated universe!

This is the idea: in a far future we will be able to build so powerful quantum computers that we will be able to simulate the entire universe. If we are capable of doing so, then did another more advanced civilization is simulating us... 

Here is a paper from Oxford University, you might want to have a look at. 

Parallel Universes:

Another theory of the string theory says that maybe parallel universes are reality:

I find all those ideas interesting and inspiring. They give a complete new insight to the idea of freewill. 

I wish for the day where all scientific disciplines will interconnect deeply and overlap!

Anyone with a passion and a deep understand of neurosciences and astrophysics at the same time reading this post? 

What do you think about this subject?

Learning from the Jungle!   Cardiac Arrest    Design: Creation of Artifacts in Society  The Modern and the Postmodern  Critical Thinking in GlobalChallenges  Synapses, Neurons and Brains   Fantasy and Science Fiction   Know Thy Self The Language of Hollywood   Moocs