#Neural Plasticity

[aeontimaeuscrux]

Cognitive Pruning

Definition: Cognitive pruning is a cognitive phenomenon in which the human brain selectively eliminates or weakens less relevant or less frequently accessed memories and information to make room for the retention and consolidation of more important or frequently used knowledge and experiences. It is an adaptive process that helps optimize memory resources and prioritize information based on its significance and utility.

Cognitive Pruning aligns with the concept of “Epistemic Relevance” in epistemology, the branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge and belief. Epistemic relevance explores how individuals determine which information is relevant to their beliefs and understanding of the world. Cognitive pruning can be seen as a practical manifestation of this philosophical concept, as it reflects the brain’s innate ability to discern and prioritize information deemed relevant to one’s cognitive processes.

“In the labyrinthine meadows of memory, the mind becomes an efficient gardener, trimming away the overgrown vines of trivial recollections to nurture the blooming roses of knowledge. Cognitive pruning, the brain’s art of forgetting, is the sculptor of our mental landscape, ensuring that the most meaningful and useful memories take root and flourish.”

-Me. Today. Just Now

[tetedump]

last assignments

Apr. 23rd, 2023; 14h34

of my college career.......:)

put stupid debate assignment things on index cards

study flashcards for adolescent brain final

edit neural plasticity paper

review/finish writing A2 code for independent study

[13thpythagoras]

Trump HUMILIATED By Comedian in THIS MEGA-VIRAL Video!

There is nothing wrong with reading at a 4th grade level! I got mad love for any people in the struggle trying to learn how to read better in any language, and English is as hard as they come. 

There is nothing wrong with having a speaking disability either

But trump is very wrong to be running around saying that he and only he can fix all our problems. fuck that weird fascist shit... and this blog frowns upon ableism but it’s also something to be aware of maybe Donald Trump is functionally illiterate as many adults are

[calicojack1718]

Conservatives Use Hitler's Propaganda Playbook to Hardwiring Political Hate, Part 1

We've seen the GOP go all in on autocracy and fascism. We can understand only understand the true danger we face when we realize how easily the language of dehumanization of a group can become hardwired and very difficult to dislodge.

SUMMARY: This blog post begins Ye Olde Blogge’s two part — maybe three, if I’m being honest — exploration of the contemporary conservative movement’s use of Hitler’s propaganda techniques. We’ve discussed this before but there are two important updates to make note of. First, in this post not only will be review the techniques that are being used, but also new psychological findings that suggest…

[whatudottu]

"You said you can read minds, yes?" The question was emphasised by the tilt of a head, neutral expression flat on crystalline face. "You've mentioned it's pretty overwhelming, you can't control what you hear?" "Yes, yes, and no... not really..." Came Ra'ad's reply, his attention diverted to focus on the corner where wall meets ceiling. Reviewing the biopsychology notes Chio had on amperi, a frown shifts his jaw just enough to be noticed. "If it's not too much to ask," Chio shifts, eyes flicking over his own handwriting to focus in Ra'ad's general direction; he's met by a brief flick of eye contact, "Could you tell me what I'm thinking of now?"

Haha magics and mutants au Ra'ad gets diagnosed as a psychic :P let's hope this neurodivergent old man gets the ability to stop having unwanted voices broadcasting in his head :)c

and a coloured Chio my beautiful therapist 😌

[bpod-bpod]

New for Adults

Details uncovered of the molecular mechanisms that underlie the generation of new neurons called granule cells that bring flexibility to pre-existing networks in the adult brain region called the hippocampus which is involved in memory

Read the published research article here

Image from work by Natalí B. Rasetto, Damiana Giacomini and Ariel A. Berardino, and colleagues

Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas de Buenos Aires (IIBBA) – CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in Science Advances, July 2024

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[rxttenfish]

honestly miranda's a lot more insecure than she will ever let anyone else know about or even mentally recognize and realize in herself - its just also in such specific and bizarre ways that no one ever picks up on it

[catirlgirlurl]

Experiments in shrink plastic! I have a plan for a gift so I made some test pieces first. Featuring my Project Neural Cloud wife Imhotep, a Sylveon, and others. Made with acrylic paint markers (and in a couple of instances, a fineliner).

Stuff I found interesting:

Trust the process, not the instructions. It said 3 minutes in the oven, I put these in for 5 and they're still curvy, so I could have gone for longer.

Paint side down! Sweet Immy's hair is a bit flaky on the back :( but the layers are also quite thick sooo.

The fineliner pen came out surprisingly well...

Lines on one side and colour on the other makes for an interesting visual!

The glittery paint markers ... don't glitter so much.

... I used a terrible colour for Immy's skin lmao, sorry bébé 💔

The D20 wasn shamelessly traced from a sticker I have, from Sioned Mai on Etsy. They also sell pins, if that's your vibe. No other comments, just plugging a cool creator~

All in all a fun experiment, and I've learned a lot. Meant to test how much a punched hole would shrink, whoops. Oh well. Next time!

[sail-not-drift]

The RWRB filmmakers were hilarious for casting actors with body types opposite their characters in the books. So much of tagging a fic movie verse vs book verse is to tell the reader whether Alex or Henry is taller.

[spectraparanormalchronicles]

Exploring Neuroplasticity and Paranormal Cognition

Introduction

In recent years, the concept of neuroplasticity has revolutionized our understanding of the human brain's capacity for adaptation and change. Neuroplasticity refers to the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life in response to learning, experience, injury, or disease. This remarkable phenomenon opens up intriguing possibilities for exploring the link between brain plasticity and paranormal cognition—phenomena such as precognition and remote viewing that challenge conventional scientific explanations.

Understanding Neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity underscores the brain's dynamic nature, demonstrating that it is not a static organ but a highly adaptive and malleable structure. Throughout life, the brain can create new neural pathways, strengthen existing connections, and even reassign functions to different areas in response to various stimuli and experiences. This ability is essential for learning, memory formation, recovery from injury, and overall cognitive flexibility.

Exploring Paranormal Cognition

Paranormal cognition encompasses a range of abilities that defy current scientific understanding but are reported across cultures and historical contexts. Key examples include:

Precognition: The purported ability to foresee future events or outcomes before they occur, often through dreams, visions, or intuitive flashes.

Remote Viewing: The alleged ability to perceive distant or unseen targets without the use of known sensory channels, sometimes described in espionage or psychic experimentation.

These phenomena challenge traditional scientific paradigms, yet they continue to intrigue researchers and enthusiasts alike because of their potential implications for understanding consciousness and human perception.

Neuroplasticity and Paranormal Abilities

Given the brain's capacity for neuroplasticity, researchers propose that changes in neural connectivity and function could play a role in facilitating or enhancing paranormal cognition:

Formation of New Neural Networks: Learning and practicing paranormal abilities such as precognition or remote viewing may involve the formation of new neural networks specialized for processing intuitive or extrasensory information. This process could be facilitated by neuroplastic changes that optimize brain regions involved in perception, intuition, and information processing.

Enhanced Cognitive Flexibility: Individuals who exhibit paranormal cognition abilities might demonstrate heightened cognitive flexibility, allowing them to adapt neural networks more readily to perceive information beyond conventional sensory inputs. Neuroplasticity could support the development of cognitive strategies that enhance these abilities over time.

Environmental Influences: External factors such as meditation, mindfulness practices, or specific training regimens may induce neuroplastic changes that facilitate paranormal cognition. These practices could potentially alter brain structure and function in ways that enhance sensitivity to subtle environmental cues or information.

Challenges and Future Directions

While the concept of neuroplasticity offers an interesting framework for exploring paranormal cognition, significant challenges remain:

Empirical Validation: Demonstrating a causal relationship between neuroplasticity and paranormal abilities requires rigorous empirical research integrating neuroscience, psychology, and parapsychology.

Methodological Considerations: Developing standardized protocols and methodologies for studying paranormal cognition within a neuroscientific framework is essential for advancing our understanding.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Bridging gaps between traditionally distinct fields, such as neuroscience and parapsychology, is crucial for fostering collaborative research efforts that can address complex questions about brain function and consciousness.

Conclusion

The intersection of neuroplasticity and paranormal cognition represents a frontier where scientific inquiry meets the mysteries of human perception and consciousness. As researchers continue to probe the brain's adaptive capabilities and their potential links to extraordinary cognitive abilities, such as precognition and remote viewing, we may gain new insights into the nature of consciousness and expand our understanding of human potential.

[daveinediting]

When I say that we're defined by how we're wired... I mean that literally.

Wired.

Each of us is walking around with 100 billion neurons in our brains. Think of them, each one, as information messengers.

Each neuron has, on average, about 7,000 connections with other neurons.

Each one. 

That means we're also walking around with something like 600 trillion connections between those hundred billion information messengers. Which brings me to what we do with all those connections.

“Neuroscientists have been chorusing "cells that fire together, wire together" since the late 1990s, meaning that if you perform a task or recall some information that causes different neurons to fire in concert, it strengthens the connections between those cells. Over time, these connections become thick, hardy road maps that link various parts of the brain -- and stimulating one neuron in the sequence is more likely to trigger the next one to fire. Thus, says [neurologiest & educator Judy] Willis, "Practice makes permanent. The more times the network is stimulated, the stronger and more efficient it becomes."

These connections aren’t set in stone, however. 

“Neuroplasticity, also known as neural plasticity or brain plasticity, is a process that involves adaptive structural and functional changes to the brain. It is defined as the ability of the nervous system to change its activity in response to intrinsic or extrinsic stimuli by reorganizing its structure, functions, or connections after injuries, such as a stroke or traumatic brain injury (TBI)."

Neuroplasticity describes both the brain's ability to change and adapt in response to physical brain damage as well as experience. To be clear, neuroplasticity describes our brain's ability to change, reorganize, or grow neural networks in response to either internal or external events. Brain injury… is an example of an internal event. Learning… is an example of an external event.

“When people repeatedly practice an activity or access a memory, their neural networks -- groups of neurons that fire together, creating electrochemical pathways -- shape themselves according to that activity or memory. When people stop practicing new things, the brain will eventually eliminate, or "prune," the connecting cells that formed the pathways.” (Judy Willis, neurologist & educator) 

And there it is. The answer to the questions Why read Shakespeare? and Why read anything?

What difference does it make to read original source material versus reading a summary?

Well, it may seem like there’s no difference between reading all 16,000-some words of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and reading a Large Language Model’s quite shorter summary and analysis of the play… but here it is: 

We are literally and physically wiring our brains differently.

[jcmarchi]

Finding nature-inspired alternatives to plastics focus of new center - Technology Org

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/finding-nature-inspired-alternatives-to-plastics-focus-of-new-center-technology-org/

Finding nature-inspired alternatives to plastics focus of new center - Technology Org

Despite efforts to reduce the use of plastic or recycle it, most plastic produced in the world ends up in landfills, the oceans, or is dumped, causing catastrophic effects on the environment, the ecosystem, and the economy.

The mission of the Synthetic Biology Manufacturing of Advanced Materials Research Center is to push the frontiers of knowledge through convergent research; develop pathways to train a manufacturing workforce; leverage an environment of diversity; and enhance innovation in the manufacturing of synthetic biological materials. Image credit: Aimee Felter/McKelvey School of Engineering

To address this, a team of researchers in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis has established the Synthetic Biology Manufacturing of Advanced Materials Research Center (SMARC) to create an integrated education, research and innovation ecosystem enabled by the convergence across multiple disciplines and research areas.

Its mission is to push the frontiers of knowledge through convergent research; develop pathways to train a manufacturing workforce that can harness artificial intelligence and the biological transformation in manufacturing; leverage an environment of diversity and inclusion to maximize human capital; and enhance innovation in the manufacturing of synthetic biological materials by understanding and overcoming barriers to technology adoption in partnership with industry.

Marcus Foston, an associate professor of energy, environmental and chemical engineering, will co-lead the center with Fuzhong Zhang, a professor of energy, environmental and chemical engineering and co-director of the center, which is funded in part by a five-year $3.6 million Growing Convergence Research grant from the National Science Foundation. With this funding, the team plans to develop a new class of biologically synthesized, protein-based and biodegradable materials that harness themes from nature to replace traditional petroleum-derived plastics.

“Our vision is a future in which advances in synthetic biology, biotechnology and biomanufacturing, machine learning, social sciences, materials science and mechanics converge to transition the world toward wide-spread use of bio-derived and biodegradable plastics from renewable feedstocks,” Foston said.

[embedded content]

Also on the Washington University leadership team are Guy Genin, the Harold and Kathleen Faught Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and Roman Garnett, an associate professor of computer science and engineering. Researchers from Northwestern University, Iowa State University and the University of South Florida bring together a convergence of cross-disciplinary expertise to evolve the plastics economy by developing a platform for the discovery of synthetic biological materials with desired properties.   

Foston and Zhang will lead a team that includes experts in synthetic biology, machine learning, polymer science, material mechanics and computational materials simulation. They will use machine learning aided with material screening and simulation approaches to accelerate the process of finding promising protein sequences that can be used to make biodegradable materials with targeted properties to replace plastics in both high- and low-value applications. In addition, they will develop synthetic biological methods and genetically engineered microbes to produce protein-based materials sustainably and economically. 

While much of the biomanufacturing industry has focused on medicines and biotherapeutics, this center will focus on fundamental scientific and engineering problems that occur during the design, development and manufacturing stages of synthetic biological materials, with the goal of leading a large-scale transition to an economy based upon sustainable and biodegradable plastics. This transition will begin with high-performance polymers.

“Synthetic biology has the potential to deliver the next generation of advanced materials with new functional properties to address a wide range of unmet needs,” Genin said. “With examples such as spider silk, elastin and resilin, synthetic biology also has the potential to leverage nature to provide access to affordable and sustainable production of novel macromolecular materials.”

Along with research, the center will include an education component.

“We will develop unique graduate educational frameworks for cross-disciplinary innovation at WashU, while simultaneously working to develop a pipeline of future innovators in the St. Louis community,” said Zhang, the center’s director of education and outreach. “This is a unique opportunity to impact our community and our world.”

[embedded content]

The center will open with a major international symposium April 18-19. Until then, Foston said, their work is cut out for them.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for major impact in the region and world,” he said. “We are all thrilled to have these resources to bring together the particular strengths of WashU and St. Louis to solve a pressing global challenge.”

Source: Washington University in St. Louis

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[bespectacled-skelly]

*me playing my brain games*

yes how very mindflayer core of me

[13thpythagoras]

why it pays to be able to change your mind

see if I describe it faster than Steven pinker

The background is that you're on a game show and there are three doors. Behind two doors is nothing and behind the third door is a gold brick that you get to keep if you guess that door correctly. The catch is that after you guess, but before they show you the result of your guess, they actually open one incorrect or empty door that you didn't guess, and then they give you a chance to switch your guess, if you want to, or not switch your guess.

basically, it's kind of a potentially devastating paradox because initially your odds of being correct, and getting the gold is one out of three, and your odds of being wrong are two out of three. But after they show you that wrong door and eliminate it, and give you a chance to switch; if you actually switch guesses, then that turns your 2/3 probability of being wrong into a 2/3 probability of being correct.

so the punchline is if you switch your guess every time, or guaranteed in your one try, then you're actually going to be correct 2/3 of the time and get that gold break 2/3 of the time.

maybe my explanation clicks or doesn't maybe it's actually wrong or incomplete, it makes sense to me but I'm curious to hear the input from other statistics researchers.

bonus example for intuition borrowed from the world's smartest lady, but if there are say 100 doors, and only one gold brick, your first guess would be 1/100 chance for gold right? But after you guess and before the reveal, if 98 other doors are opened to reveal nothing, and you're given the chance to switch your guess, would you?...

[luetta]

i saw someone joke about robot girls as an example of kinks that are just impossible to ever be made reality, like they're completely in the land of fiction. but ... that is just not true!

you can set the mood in your room. turn off the lights but put on some little coloured purple and blue blinkers. sit her down on the edge of your bed and sit down behind her. let her eyes flutter closed since there's no reason to keep them upon in this dark, safe room. softly coo into her ears, she's been such a good robot day! doing so many tasks so efficiently! making everyone around her so happy. but, silly her, she overdid it. so you're just going to have to do a tiny bit of repair work. "will that be okay, dear?" of course it will be. she trusts you completely. you're her admin. you created her. of course she has a safeguard preventing just anyone from powering her down, but she lets you override that with no resistance. such a good girl.

press your finger into the back of her neck, and then drag it down her spine. as she powers down, glide her limp body softly onto the bed. put her feet up so she's lying down completely now. maybe hold her limbs up a bit and let them drop. yep, she's powered down now. she's not unconscious, just mental faculties are capped at 10% and body autonomy is disabled. all you have to do now is find where she's sustained some damage. trace your fingers all along her chassis, poking in with a "screwdriver" to take her outer layer off and examine the wires and joints. hmmm... oil is a bit thin. these wires are too close together, could cause sparking and overheating. goodness, your fan is dusty. you've been working so hard, haven't you? gently turn her over onto her stomach now. it's time to investigate her processing unit, her software.

make sure her arms aren't stuck underneath her. once she's all comfy, you can unscrew her entire back panel. make sure to trace your fingers all around her back and spine as you do, robot girls love that shit. the soft human touch is heavenly to a machine of metal and electricity. and such a well designed chassis too, so beautiful. but off it comes, what's underneath is even prettier! oh, even now, it's still hot to the touch. you've been thinking so much today ... you don't need to think anymore though. just let me explore you. read out her event log for the day. algorithmic neural plasticity score. joint lubricant levels. corrupted data percentage. things like that. they're like scores to her. praise her if she's gotten good ones, tease her if she's gotten bad ones.

i could write so much more and maybe i will...like roleplaying injecting a virus into her neck or chest, and feeling the code flow all down her body...your cock can even be the usb!

also, at some point lay your whole body weight onto them - arms over her arms and legs over her legs. to calibrate pressure sensors or something. bc lets face it if she's a robot girl then she is 100% a neurodivergent cutie who'd love that sm <3