A more in-depth article on go programming, from the point of view of a programmer and a player, originally published in The Sciences:
http://mechner.com/david/compgo/
Click on "All Systems Go".
The chip preparation seems cool, but this experiment doesn't prove a thing about learning or memory.
Changes in individual neurons have been observed in many ways (electrically, visually) in many preparations (live animals, brain slices, brain cultures) in response to artificially induced activity like what these guys used.
The problem is the assertion that the artificially induced activity is anything like what happens during real learning in an intact, awake brain. This is a hard problem, and the present study doesn't address it at all.
The study therefore has no real relevance to learning and memory.
1. the state of the art for recording activity of individual neurons is in the realm of dozens at a time, and technology for stimulating neural activity is much cruder. Any movement that actually occurs would have to be on the order of a spasm. For that level of control I suggest a car battery and a couple of needles as a cheaper and less invasive alternative.
2. There are a couple of brain nuclei where stimulating will evoke anxiety or pleasure, but we don't know how to "control emotions" in any meaningful sense of the phrase. Again, if you're after anxiety or pleasure, I suggest drugs as a cheaper, and much safer alternative.
Slashdot Mirror
A more in-depth article on go programming, from the point of view of a programmer and a player, originally published in The Sciences: http://mechner.com/david/compgo/ Click on "All Systems Go".
The chip preparation seems cool, but this experiment doesn't prove a thing about learning or memory.
Changes in individual neurons have been observed in many ways (electrically, visually) in many preparations (live animals, brain slices, brain cultures) in response to artificially induced activity like what these guys used.
The problem is the assertion that the artificially induced activity is anything like what happens during real learning in an intact, awake brain. This is a hard problem, and the present study doesn't address it at all.
The study therefore has no real relevance to learning and memory.
2. There are a couple of brain nuclei where stimulating will evoke anxiety or pleasure, but we don't know how to "control emotions" in any meaningful sense of the phrase. Again, if you're after anxiety or pleasure, I suggest drugs as a cheaper, and much safer alternative.