Bipolar happy paranoia

I know, I know. No posts, no Super Paper Fridays, no random techno-babble. I feel I owe the folks that check in from time to time an explanation. So, here goes...

Personal issues abound.

I've had a disturbingly high number of family members pass away in the last 6 months, including 2 grandparents. I was extremely close with one, and the other was the last immediate family member from that entire half of the family (so that adds estate issues into the mix). If that wasn't enough, my mother has recently had some serious health problems, as did my aunt (the mother issues are just in the early phases, the aunt issues are hopefully over). So, if I'm not working, I'm thinking too much about all the other chaos, and generally not feeling the 'will to blog'.

Lab excitement and frustration

I REALLY want to talk about the experiments I'm running and the really, really interesting data I'm collecting, but I can't. It is isn't clinical trial related concerns, it's the sense that I've got something big and want to be extra careful at all stages of analysis and interpretation.

My super-secret project (shhhh!) is going along swimmingly. It took me about two years to assemble it conceptually, and (prepare for some ridiculous bragging) the resulting flow is simple, elegant, practical, and far reaching for the field. It doesn't interrupt any ongoing studies that others might be running, requires minimal dedicated time (a major issue when you have a dozen people trying to schedule their experiments with the limited number of subjects), and has an early lynch pin (if it was going to have major problems, they would have been apparent within the first session). The setup requires no major alterations to what's already in place and can be adapted easily as the underlying tech changes, but is separate enough from other projects to allow me to claim my own niche. As the results come in and we begin thinking about their implications, the effort put into this branch of the grander scheme can be fed back into other projects. Perfessionally (personally+professionally), it has given me the flexibility to essentially dust off some of my old skills and gain the experience of pushing through nearly every step of the system, rather than just making a minor change to something that already existed. So, yeah, I'm very happy with how the science is working out so far. Hopefully I can start to dish out some actual details as the papers start to flow.

Information visualization abomination: Matlab

Yes, I know it rocks for matrix operations and fast prototyping. I try to think about how nice it is to easily plot simple graphs, really I do. BUT, I would like to stab the GUI editing tool (GUIDE) in the face. You got Matlab (any version at least after 2007a-ish)? Okay, draw 5 pop up menus, 5 radio buttons, 5 toggles, I dunno... throw a dozen uicontrols on a new empty figure with GUIDE. Okay, now select them all. Now tap the arrows on your keyboard a couple dozen times. It you were able to move those demon-spawned cinders of UI evil more than a couple dozen times without sending Matlab into a tailspin of Java heap space disaster, you're doing better than I am. And the med school student working with me. Across 6 computers with 3 OSes, some with as little as 4GB of memory, some with as much as 16GB. The Java heap space doesn't care how much memory you have. You might as well be working on a circa 1985 Tandy.

There are other things that drive me nuts about that venerable development platform, like sometimes I just want a null value. Matlab Roulette time! Will the null value be treated as an empty matrix, NaN, a string containing 'NaN', or will it just delete those entries in the data structure? Did you pass a row or column vector? Doesn't matter much, since you'll have to babysit the results - that's what I call it when you can't just call a function and know the format it returns. It results in an annoying trial-and-error or single stepping drudge at every other step. And don't get me started on graphing's voodoo properties. Alright, I got my axes set up with all the labels and fonts, and tick marks etc etc etc just as I want them... aaaand plot... joy! Matlab has decided to results every third property to some default value. Not all the properties, but enough to waste 15 minutes of wondering why it decided to change the 'DataAspectRatio' to 'CowsGoMoo'. Oh, and it halted before the figure handle was assigned (or you forgot to bow to your benevolent overlords {}, [], (), ., and ', leading them to eat your CloseRequestFcn), so your figure like some nerd-rage fueled zombie window that refuses to close.

(incidentally...

ohGodNotAgain = allchild(0);

for pleaseKillMe = 1:length(ohGodNotAgain)

delete(ohGodNotAgain(pleaseKillMe));

end;

clear all;

abandon(hope);

The last line wasn't real, but then again, guess what clear all does? Sometimes it clears all. Sometimes... I think it works on alternating Tuesdays when clear objs is busy.

Discussion

So, that's my life right now. Don't get me wrong... it's been great (aside from the family insanity), but I'm too busy to really post much. Besides, every news story seems to be covered so completely that I'd rather tag the RSS feeds and pass them on (lots on the 'Interface and HCI' feed) in order to reserve posting for stuff that I can add to the discussion on (time permitting). Check out the feeds for interesting, exciting, awesome and buoyant stories.

BrainGate2 clinical trial is go

That's right! Everyone's favorite Neural Interface System, filled to the brim with Brain-Computer Interfaceyness, BrainGate, is continuing clinical trials, sans Cyberkinetics. Massachusetts General Hospital will serve as the home base, with close ties to Brown and Harvard universities and the Providence VA Hospital. Leigh Hochberg takes the helm as PI and lead investigator along with John Donoghue. The project is being called BrainGate2 in part to denote advancement in the systems, techniques and understanding used in designing and implementing an NIS. People looking for more information, including participant enrollment, can check out the below links and Braingate2.org.

Clinical trials page on BrainGate2.org website
ClinicalTrials.gov entry

Brown University release
GenEngNews article
Boston Globe article
Providence Journal article
PhysOrg article

Reddit catch
Twitter catches

SPF

Yup, another big one! EndNote file is here. There are three groups - one for the last SPF, one or this one, and one for all SPFs. Ignore the 'all' group - that's just used to get rid of the extra citations due to searching.

No top 10 list this time, but here are a couple worth noting ;)

Donoghue, J. P. Bridging the brain to the world: a perspective on neural interface systems. Neuron 60, 511-21, doi:S0896-6273(08)00897-0 [pii]
10.1016/j.neuron.2008.10.037 (2008).
Link.

Bedard, P. and Sanes, J. N. Gaze and hand position effects on finger-movement related human brain activation. J Neurophysiol, doi:90683.2008
10.1152/jn.90683.2008 (2008).
Link.

Kim, S. P., Simeral, J. D., Hochberg, L. R., Donoghue, J. P. and Black, M. J. Neural control of computer cursor velocity by decoding motor cortical spiking activity in humans with tetraplegia. J Neural Eng 5, 455-76, doi:S1741-2560(08)86260-X [pii]
10.1088/1741-2560/5/4/010 (2008).
Link.

I may start posting the actual papers to a limited access-type site, so readers of the blog can download them more easily. I have to look into it more, but it should be legal as long as they aren't publicly available. The idea would be that if you want access, you email me with a specific subject, which will automatically spit back the login info or file password.

And now the list...

Abbott, L. F. Theoretical neuroscience rising. Neuron 60, 489-95, doi:S0896-6273(08)00892-1 [pii]
10.1016/j.neuron.2008.10.019 (2008).
Link.

Abernethy, B., Zawi, K. and Jackson, R. C. Expertise and attunement to kinematic constraints. Perception 37, 931-48, (2008).
Link.

Altevogt, B. M., Hanson, S. L. and Leshner, A. I. Molecules to minds: grand challenges for the 21st century. Neuron 60, 406-8, doi:S0896-6273(08)00910-0 [pii]
10.1016/j.neuron.2008.10.036 (2008).
Link.

Ascari, L., Bertocchi, U., Corradi, P., Laschi, C. and Dario, P. Bio-inspired grasp control in a robotic hand with massive sensorial input. Biol Cybern, doi:10.1007/s00422-008-0279-0 (2008).
Link.

Bachev, S. and Petkova, E. A national computer-based epidemiological information system. Methods Inf Med 15, 83-7, (1976).
Link.

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10.1016/j.actpsy.2008.06.006 (2008).
Link.

Ball, T., Demandt, E., Mutschler, I., Neitzel, E., Mehring, C., Vogt, K., Aertsen, A. and Schulze-Bonhage, A. Movement related activity in the high gamma range of the human EEG. Neuroimage 41, 302-10, doi:S1053-8119(08)00171-7 [pii]
10.1016/j.neuroimage.2008.02.032 (2008).
Link.

Balleine, B. W., Liljeholm, M. and Ostlund, S. B. The integrative function of the basal ganglia in instrumental conditioning. Behav Brain Res, doi:S0166-4328(08)00599-8 [pii]
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Link.

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10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5692-07.2008 (2008).
Link.

Bedard, P. and Sanes, J. N. Gaze and hand position effects on finger-movement related human brain activation. J Neurophysiol, doi:90683.2008 [pii]
10.1152/jn.90683.2008 (2008).
Link.

Benali, A., Weiler, E., Benali, Y., Dinse, H. R. and Eysel, U. T. Excitation and inhibition jointly regulate cortical reorganization in adult rats. J Neurosci 28, 12284-93, doi:28/47/12284 [pii]
10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1952-08.2008 (2008).
Link.

Bengtsson, S. L., Ullen, F., Ehrsson, H. H., Hashimoto, T., Kito, T., Naito, E., Forssberg, H. and Sadato, N. Listening to rhythms activates motor and premotor cortices. Cortex, doi:S0010-9452(08)00243-8 [pii]
10.1016/j.cortex.2008.07.002 (2008).
Link.

Berniker, M. and Kording, K. Estimating the sources of motor errors for adaptation and generalization. Nat Neurosci 11, 1454-61, doi:nn.2229 [pii]
10.1038/nn.2229 (2008).
Link.

Blanke, O. and Metzinger, T. Full-body illusions and minimal phenomenal selfhood. Trends Cogn Sci, doi:S1364-6613(08)00250-7 [pii]
10.1016/j.tics.2008.10.003 (2008).
Link.

Bobrowski, O., Meir, R. and Eldar, Y. C. Bayesian Filtering in Spiking Neural Networks: Noise, Adaptation, and Multisensory Integration. Neural Comput, doi:10.1162/neco.2008.01-08-692 (2008).
Link.

Boland, R. A., Bostock, H. and Kiernan, M. C. Plasticity of lower limb motor axons after cervical cord injury. Clin Neurophysiol, doi:S1388-2457(08)01015-8 [pii]
10.1016/j.clinph.2008.10.009 (2008).
Link.

Boulenger, V., Hauk, O. and Pulvermuller, F. Grasping Ideas with the Motor System: Semantic Somatotopy in Idiom Comprehension. Cereb Cortex, doi:bhn217 [pii]
10.1093/cercor/bhn217 (2008).
Link.

Brown, L. E., Wilson, E. T., Goodale, M. A. and Gribble, P. L. Motor force field learning influences visual processing of target motion. J Neurosci 27, 9975-83, doi:27/37/9975 [pii]
10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1245-07.2007 (2007).
Link.

Chandrasekaran, C. F. and Ghazanfar, A. A. Different neural frequency bands integrate faces & voices differently in the superior temporal sulcus. J Neurophysiol, doi:90843.2008 [pii]
10.1152/jn.90843.2008 (2008).
Link.

Changizi, M. A. and Shimojo, S. A functional explanation for the effects of visual exposure on preference. Perception 37, 1510-9, (2008).
Link.

Chen, R., Seo, D. O., Bell, E., von Gall, C. and Lee, C. Strong resetting of the mammalian clock by constant light followed by constant darkness. J Neurosci 28, 11839-47, doi:28/46/11839 [pii]
10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2191-08.2008 (2008).
Link.

Chong, T. T., Cunnington, R., Williams, M. A., Kanwisher, N. and Mattingley, J. B. fMRI adaptation reveals mirror neurons in human inferior parietal cortex. Curr Biol 18, 1576-80, doi:S0960-9822(08)01242-6 [pii]
10.1016/j.cub.2008.08.068 (2008).
Link.

Churchland, P. S. The impact of neuroscience on philosophy. Neuron 60, 409-11, doi:S0896-6273(08)00896-9 [pii]
10.1016/j.neuron.2008.10.023 (2008).
Link.

Cincotti, F., Mattia, D., Aloise, F., Bufalari, S., Astolfi, L., De Vico Fallani, F., Tocci, A., Bianchi, L., Marciani, M. G., Gao, S., Millan, J. and Babiloni, F. High-resolution EEG techniques for brain-computer interface applications. J Neurosci Methods 167, 31-42, doi:S0165-0270(07)00337-8 [pii]
10.1016/j.jneumeth.2007.06.031 (2008).
Link.

Collins, T., Schicke, T. and Roder, B. Action goal selection and motor planning can be dissociated by tool use. Cognition 109, 363-71, doi:S0010-0277(08)00218-7 [pii]
10.1016/j.cognition.2008.10.001 (2008).
Link.

Creem-Regehr, S. H. Sensory-motor and cognitive functions of the human posterior parietal cortex involved in manual actions. Neurobiol Learn Mem, doi:S1074-7427(08)00188-3 [pii]
10.1016/j.nlm.2008.10.004 (2008).
Link.

Cros, D., Soto, O. and Chiappa, K. H. Transcranial magnetic stimulation during voluntary action: directional facilitation of outputs and relationships to force generation. Brain Res 1185, 103-16, doi:S0006-8993(07)02083-5 [pii]
10.1016/j.brainres.2007.09.003 (2007).
Link.

Deconinck, F. J., Spitaels, L., Fias, W. and Lenoir, M. Is developmental coordination disorder a motor imagery deficit? J Clin Exp Neuropsychol, 1-11, doi:906196401 [pii]
10.1080/13803390802484805 (2008).
Link.

Di Lazzaro, V., Pilato, F., Dileone, M., Profice, P., Oliviero, A., Mazzone, P., Insola, A., Ranieri, F., Meglio, M., Tonali, P. A. and Rothwell, J. C. The physiological basis of the effects of intermittent theta burst stimulation of the human motor cortex. J Physiol 586, 3871-9, doi:jphysiol.2008.152736 [pii]
10.1113/jphysiol.2008.152736 (2008).
Link.

Dillon, D. G. and Pizzagalli, D. A. Inhibition of Action, Thought, and Emotion: A Selective Neurobiological Review. Appl Prev Psychol 12, 99-114, doi:10.1016/j.appsy.2007.09.004 (2007).
Link.

Donoghue, J. P. Bridging the brain to the world: a perspective on neural interface systems. Neuron 60, 511-21, doi:S0896-6273(08)00897-0 [pii]
10.1016/j.neuron.2008.10.037 (2008).
Link.

Doyon, J., Bellec, P., Amsel, R., Penhune, V., Monchi, O., Carrier, J., Lehericy, S. and Benali, H. Contributions of the basal ganglia and functionally related brain structures to motor learning. Behav Brain Res, doi:S0166-4328(08)00628-1 [pii]
10.1016/j.bbr.2008.11.012 (2008).
Link.

Freeman, W. J. Definitions of state variables and state space for brain-computer interface : Part 2. Extraction and classification of feature vectors. Cogn Neurodyn 1, 85-96, doi:10.1007/s11571-006-9002-9 (2007).
Link.

Freeman, W. J. Definitions of state variables and state space for brain-computer interface : Part 1. Multiple hierarchical levels of brain function. Cogn Neurodyn 1, 3-14, doi:10.1007/s11571-006-9001-x (2007).
Link.

Friedman, D. P. Public outreach: a scientific imperative. J Neurosci 28, 11743-5, doi:28/46/11743 [pii]
10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0005-08.2008 (2008).
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Frith, C. D. and Frith, U. Implicit and explicit processes in social cognition. Neuron 60, 503-10, doi:S0896-6273(08)00908-2 [pii]
10.1016/j.neuron.2008.10.032 (2008).
Link.

Galati, G., Committeri, G., Spitoni, G., Aprile, T., Di Russo, F., Pitzalis, S. and Pizzamiglio, L. A selective representation of the meaning of actions in the auditory mirror system. Neuroimage 40, 1274-86, doi:S1053-8119(07)01152-4 [pii]
10.1016/j.neuroimage.2007.12.044 (2008).
Link.

Gazzaniga, M. S. The law and neuroscience. Neuron 60, 412-5, doi:S0896-6273(08)00895-7 [pii]
10.1016/j.neuron.2008.10.022 (2008).
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Gazzola, V. and Keysers, C. The Observation and Execution of Actions Share Motor and Somatosensory Voxels in all Tested Subjects: Single-Subject Analyses of Unsmoothed fMRI Data. Cereb Cortex, doi:bhn181 [pii]
10.1093/cercor/bhn181 (2008).
Link.

Ginsberg, J., Mohebbi, M. H., Patel, R. S., Brammer, L., Smolinski, M. S. and Brilliant, L. Detecting influenza epidemics using search engine query data. Nature, doi:nature07634 [pii]
10.1038/nature07634 (2008).
Link.

Giugliano, M., La Camera, G., Fusi, S. and Senn, W. The response of cortical neurons to in vivo-like input current: theory and experiment: II. Time-varying and spatially distributed inputs. Biol Cybern 99, 303-18, doi:10.1007/s00422-008-0270-9 (2008).
Link.

Grafton, S. T., Schmitt, P., Van Horn, J. and Diedrichsen, J. Neural substrates of visuomotor learning based on improved feedback control and prediction. Neuroimage 39, 1383-95, doi:S1053-8119(07)00905-6 [pii]
10.1016/j.neuroimage.2007.09.062 (2008).
Link.

Greely, H., Sahakian, B., Harris, J., Kessler, R. C., Gazzaniga, M., Campbell, P. and Farah, M. J. Towards responsible use of cognitive-enhancing drugs by the healthy. Nature, doi:456702a [pii]
10.1038/456702a (2008).
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Haggard, P. Human volition: towards a neuroscience of will. Nat Rev Neurosci 9, 934-46, doi:nrn2497 [pii]
10.1038/nrn2497 (2008).
Link.

Hamzei, F., Dettmers, C., Rijntjes, M. and Weiller, C. The effect of cortico-spinal tract damage on primary sensorimotor cortex activation after rehabilitation therapy. Exp Brain Res 190, 329-36, doi:10.1007/s00221-008-1474-x (2008).
Link.

Hikosaka, O., Sesack, S. R., Lecourtier, L. and Shepard, P. D. Habenula: crossroad between the basal ganglia and the limbic system. J Neurosci 28, 11825-9, doi:28/46/11825 [pii]
10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3463-08.2008 (2008).
Link.

Hofer, S. B., Mrsic-Flogel, T. D., Bonhoeffer, T. and Hubener, M. Experience leaves a lasting structural trace in cortical circuits. Nature, doi:nature07487 [pii]
10.1038/nature07487 (2008).
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Holden, C., Lawler, A., Kintisch, E., Mervis, J. and Stokstad, E. Science and the election. Obama victory raises hopes for new policies, bigger budgets. Science 322, 1034-5, doi:322/5904/1034 [pii]
10.1126/science.322.5904.1034 (2008).
Link.

Hong, S. and Hikosaka, O. The globus pallidus sends reward-related signals to the lateral habenula. Neuron 60, 720-9, doi:S0896-6273(08)00837-4 [pii]
10.1016/j.neuron.2008.09.035 (2008).
Link.

Hosp, J. A., Molina-Luna, K., Hertler, B., Atiemo, C. O., Stett, A. and Luft, A. R. Thin-film epidural microelectrode arrays for somatosensory and motor cortex mapping in rat. J Neurosci Methods 172, 255-62, doi:S0165-0270(08)00287-2 [pii]
10.1016/j.jneumeth.2008.05.010 (2008).
Link.

Houweling, S., Daffertshofer, A., van Dijk, B. W. and Beek, P. J. Neural changes induced by learning a challenging perceptual-motor task. Neuroimage 41, 1395-407, doi:S1053-8119(08)00234-6 [pii]
10.1016/j.neuroimage.2008.03.023 (2008).
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Hua, K., Oishi, K., Zhang, J., Wakana, S., Yoshioka, T., Zhang, W., Akhter, K. D., Li, X., Huang, H., Jiang, H., van Zijl, P. and Mori, S. Mapping of Functional Areas in the Human Cortex Based on Connectivity through Association Fibers. Cereb Cortex, doi:bhn215 [pii]
10.1093/cercor/bhn215 (2008).
Link.

Iversen, I. H., Ghanayim, N., Kubler, A., Neumann, N., Birbaumer, N. and Kaiser, J. Conditional associative learning examined in a paralyzed patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis using brain-computer interface technology. Behav Brain Funct 4, 53, doi:1744-9081-4-53 [pii]
10.1186/1744-9081-4-53 (2008).
Link.

Jarosiewicz, B., Chase, S. M., Fraser, G. W., Velliste, M., Kass, R. E. and Schwartz, A. B. Functional network reorganization during learning in a brain-computer interface paradigm. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, doi:0808113105 [pii]
10.1073/pnas.0808113105 (2008).
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Kagerer, F. A. and Contreras-Vidal, J. L. Adaptation of sound localization induced by rotated visual feedback in reaching movements. Exp Brain Res, doi:10.1007/s00221-008-1630-3 (2008).
Link.

Kao, M. H., Wright, B. D. and Doupe, A. J. Neurons in a Forebrain Nucleus Required for Vocal Plasticity Rapidly Switch between Precise Firing and Variable Bursting Depending on Social Context. J Neurosci 28, 13232-47, doi:28/49/13232 [pii]
10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2250-08.2008 (2008).
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Kato, R., Yokoi, H., Hernandez Arieta, A., Yu, W. and Arai, T. Mutual adaptation among man and machine by using f-MRI analysis. Robotics and Autonomous Systems In Press, Corrected Proof.
Link.

Kim, S. P., Simeral, J. D., Hochberg, L. R., Donoghue, J. P. and Black, M. J. Neural control of computer cursor velocity by decoding motor cortical spiking activity in humans with tetraplegia. J Neural Eng 5, 455-76, doi:S1741-2560(08)86260-X [pii]
10.1088/1741-2560/5/4/010 (2008).
Link.

Kipke, D. R., Shain, W., Buzsaki, G., Fetz, E., Henderson, J. M., Hetke, J. F. and Schalk, G. Advanced neurotechnologies for chronic neural interfaces: new horizons and clinical opportunities. J Neurosci 28, 11830-8, doi:28/46/11830 [pii]
10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3879-08.2008 (2008).
Link.

Klampfl, S., Legenstein, R. and Maass, W. Spiking Neurons Can Learn to Solve Information Bottleneck Problems and Extract Independent Components. Neural Comput, doi:10.1162/neco.2008.01-07-432 (2008).
Link.

Koelewijn, T., van Schie, H. T., Bekkering, H., Oostenveld, R. and Jensen, O. Motor-cortical beta oscillations are modulated by correctness of observed action. Neuroimage 40, 767-75, doi:S1053-8119(07)01108-1 [pii]
10.1016/j.neuroimage.2007.12.018 (2008).
Link.

Kolb, B., Cioe, J. and Comeau, W. Contrasting effects of motor and visual spatial learning tasks on dendritic arborization and spine density in rats. Neurobiol Learn Mem 90, 295-300, doi:S1074-7427(08)00071-3 [pii]
10.1016/j.nlm.2008.04.012 (2008).
Link.

Kreitzer, A. C. and Malenka, R. C. Striatal plasticity and basal ganglia circuit function. Neuron 60, 543-54, doi:S0896-6273(08)00959-8 [pii]
10.1016/j.neuron.2008.11.005 (2008).
Link.

Lalazar, H. and Vaadia, E. Neural basis of sensorimotor learning: modifying internal models. Curr Opin Neurobiol, doi:S0959-4388(08)00157-8 [pii]
10.1016/j.conb.2008.11.003 (2008).
Link.

Lawrence, A., Clark, L., Labuzetta, J. N., Sahakian, B. and Vyakarnum, S. The innovative brain. Nature 456, 168-9, doi:456168a [pii]
10.1038/456168a (2008).
Link.

Lee, J. H., Ryu, J., Jolesz, F. A., Cho, Z. H. and Yoo, S. S. Brain-machine interface via real-time fMRI: Preliminary study on thought-controlled robotic arm. Neurosci Lett, doi:S0304-3940(08)01570-X [pii]
10.1016/j.neulet.2008.11.024 (2008).
Link.

Lee, S., Carvell, G. E. and Simons, D. J. Motor modulation of afferent somatosensory circuits. Nat Neurosci 11, 1430-8, doi:nn.2227 [pii]
10.1038/nn.2227 (2008).
Link.

Liberman, N. and Trope, Y. The psychology of transcending the here and now. Science 322, 1201-5, doi:322/5905/1201 [pii]
10.1126/science.1161958 (2008).
Link.

Loula, A., Gudwin, R., El-Hani, C. N. and Queiroz, J. Emergence of Self-Organized Symbol-Based Communication in Artificial Creatures. Cognitive Systems Research In Press, Accepted Manuscript.
Link.

Lukos, J. R., Ansuini, C. and Santello, M. Anticipatory control of grasping: independence of sensorimotor memories for kinematics and kinetics. J Neurosci 28, 12765-74, doi:28/48/12765 [pii]
10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4335-08.2008 (2008).
Link.

Marchand, W. R., Lee, J. N., Thatcher, J. W., Thatcher, G. W., Jensen, C. and Starr, J. Motor deactivation in the human cortex and basal ganglia. Neuroimage 38, 538-48, doi:S1053-8119(07)00669-6 [pii]
10.1016/j.neuroimage.2007.07.036 (2007).
Link.

Matsumoto, M. and Hikosaka, O. Representation of negative motivational value in the primate lateral habenula. Nat Neurosci, doi:nn.2233 [pii]
10.1038/nn.2233 (2008).
Link.

Mattia, D., Cincotti, F., Astolfi, L., de Vico Fallani, F., Scivoletto, G., Marciani, M. G. and Babiloni, F. Motor cortical responsiveness to attempted movements in tetraplegia: Evidence from neuroelectrical imaging. Clin Neurophysiol, doi:S1388-2457(08)01003-1 [pii]
10.1016/j.clinph.2008.09.023 (2008).
Link.

McLean, D. L., Masino, M. A., Koh, I. Y., Lindquist, W. B. and Fetcho, J. R. Continuous shifts in the active set of spinal interneurons during changes in locomotor speed. Nat Neurosci 11, 1419-29, doi:nn.2225 [pii]
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60 Minutes

So, did you catch it? Not just the show, but my hands are CLEARLY visible in a couple frames! See...



But seriously, I thought it was a really good piece overall, and nicely balanced. I must have explained what I do to my grandma a hundred times, but she didn't understand it until this report. Also, I like checking out the comments people make on the various sites that post these stories*. You can buy the episode on DVD at Amazon, apparently.

A little "Behind the Scenes" bit for you. After Cathy played the media player (standard Windows Media Player, btw), the cameras stopped filming and the crew began discussing the setup for the next shot. I think the reporter (Scott Pelley) was the one that said to a crew member, "I'm having a hard time hearing you because of the music." A couple people began to walk over to the speakers to turn down the volume. Before they reached the speakers, not more than 10 feet away, Cathy had turned the music off. It was a somewhat surreal moment where the research and media attention fell into the background. Not only was it one of the first completely unstructured uses of the system I've seen, but there was a serene normalcy to the situation. Even when all intentions are to be respectful, under typical conditions there is an unacknowledged barrier between the user and the rest of the people in the room. For a moment, that barrier simply disappeared.

The entire clip is available below. Site here.


* There are inevitably a few total whack job posts about secret government projects or aliens, so the mass media coverage provides a good source of lulz. Even Free Republic (staunchly conservative site) is carrying the story. And to answer some of the posts there - our project will be infinitely better off if Obama is elected. If you really care about developing this type of technology, vote for Obama. :P

60 Minutes!

I almost forgot! Tomorrow night the project will be featured on 60 Minutes. You might even see me in the background! This is my biggest media appearance since the back of my head was featured on the Discovery Channel while working for Phil Kennedy (for 2 seconds)!

(The below videos didn't want to work correctly during the preview, so if they are broken when this is posted, just head over the 60 Minutes site.)

Hochberg article in NEJoM

Leigh has an article in this month's New England Journal of Medicine related to The Project. Required reading, of course.

Fox News - Accurete Repoting!

This, what I guess passes for an article at Fox News, mentions 'The Lab' along with my old 'The Lab'. The quotes, images and, well, all the content regarding the current 'The Lab' is straight out of video clips or other publicly available material. I think they were just going to write an update on Phil Kennedy's work and the reporter needed to add some fluff. So, go ahead and take a peak if you want. You might want your 5 minutes of life back, though.

In REAL news, can't say anything more, but you might see me in the background on a upcoming major news show airing in the Fall. not saying anything more until everything is public, but that's part of the reason for the slowed updates lately.

And just a quickie on the first topic. I find it odd that every 6 months or so, there is an update on the project here. I mean, yes, we make progress, but the updates seem to come randomly. Sometimes they're started by a rogue Reddit or Digg post, sometimes there's a big media blitz. I know that there are times when the company is looking for investors and when we get publications, where I expect media coverage, but at least half the stories I've come across have been completely out of the blue. The only possible conclusion I can come to is that people are weird. That is all. If you read the Fox article and read this, I bet you want your 10 minutes of life back. Too bad, they're mine now.

Major news

Distancing myself a little here, but this isn't unexpected at all:

Form 10-Q for CYBERKINETICS NEUROTECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS, INC.

"On May 15, 2008, we entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement (the "APA") with I2S Micro Implantable Systems Inc. ("I2S" or "Purchaser"), a Utah corporation located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The transaction is scheduled to close on or about May 16, 2008 pending execution of certain ancillary agreements."

Excuses, excuses, and a few tech items

Going forward...

So, updates have been slow in coming, but as of today, things should be running smoothly. I will post the weekly link dumps next week, because I forgot that it requires that I post for the preceding week (in order to post the stories I didn't report on, I have to fail to report on them first).

Also, posts will probably be slightly shorter. Of course, enough coverage of an item will mean larger posts.


Excuses, excuses...

Reasons for the lull? Cross institution project, prelim (make it stop!), meetings requiring progress reports, laptop dead-received-installing junk saga, major tech site changes (including restarting the podcast, which you should subscribe to, and all the technical issues with getting my mini-studio up and running again), computer upgrades (more below), new lab computers for tasks we've never done, lots of general tech stuff I'm learning about and was previously unfamiliar with (video conferencing standard, serious data security, HD semi-pro film editing hardware/software, etc.), and actually plenty more that I can't remember. I've honestly gone out for 'fun' once in the last 3 weeks, making other friends a little worried, and causing those obligatory "I'm doing great, just lots of work" social sessions. At least that's how I justify playing WoW with the guild, the Tipplesplitters ("Fear the Muffin!"), for 5 hours last night :). I'm not complaining, since all this is actually really fun to me, but you get the idea. Side projects like this blog took a back seat. And, there's also a film project I might be involved with, but that's still in the planning stages.


Upgraded PC setup

My computer is now set up in such an uber-radical way that I am in awe. That's rare. Not every piece is latest and greatest, but I decided to put off assembling a new one until the end of the year at the earliest for tech reasons.

New laptop:
Gateway C-141XL with - Penryn 2.4GHz, 250GB HDD, 3 GB RAM, Vista Business x86, ATI Radeon Mobility x2300 HD w/ 128MB dedicated, Wacom digitizer, etc. Probably the fastest and most feature rich 14.1" widescreen tablet out (neck and neck with the Toshiba). (edit: nevermind, it is now the ONLY 14" tablet, since Toshiba discontinued the M7 and R10. Still love t, even though it is a bit heavy.)

WORTH NOTING FOR ANYONE WITH A LAPTOP AND DESKTOP: Get Synergy2. It's a small, open source, free application that you run on any number of computers of any OS (Win XP/Vista, OSX, Linux, etc) and allows you to use one mouse and keyboard seamlessly with all of them. It is awesome. There is a paid for Windows only app called MaxiVistaPro that supports a few other things like file dragging, but Synergy works great for me.

Desktop changes:
The laptop is mounted below the right 20.1" LCD in my new 3-friggin-monitor setup, so that when I'm home it is used as my scratch pad and reference for notes. All three LCDs (all Dell, 2x20.1", 1x24") and the laptop/tablet are supported by new Ergotron LX100 arms, which are just top notch quality and have no problem supporting everything. Monitors arranged in 20"-24"-20" setup.

The central/main monitor is driven by an 512MB EVGA Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTS, which uses the G92 chip (used in the 9XXX series, smaller dye, etc). I decided I don't play enough games, and I have 2 consoles, to warrant springing for a 9800GTX, and didn't want to deal with the power issues of the 9800GX2 (dual GPU card).

The triple-display/triple monitor drama
I had an EVGA Nividia GeForce 7950GX2, which is two 7950GTs in one card allowing for two of such cards to be used in a Quad SLI setup (4 GPUs fused into one monster, single monitor driving GPU). Originally I was thinking of putting that card into SLI mode (could only drive one monitor then), using it to drive my main monitor, and getting a cheap-o dual DVI second card to drive the other two. After a shit-ton of research (literally hours, possibly days if you include the many other checks into this setup), I decided to do an about face and do the opposite - get a new, reasonably priced card for the center monitor that performed as good or better than the 7950 in SLI (I was surprised that the 8X00 series is JUST catching up to it). The reason? Everything I read on getting the previous setup to work screamed "HACK!" and I knew that I would one day update a driver and none of it would work. My main concern was whether trying to keep the 7950 in SLI would cause the drivers to attempt to lump the second GPU in with the mix, causing either errors, or not letting me use SLI in the first place, but there were other concerns. My motherboard has two PCI-Express 16x slots so I might as well use them. (Asus P5N32-SLI SE Deluxe, based on the NForce4 Intel x16 chipset, which actually has a second PCI-E mini-bus and bridge chip. It was the first chipset for Intel chips with 2x16x lanes, so it was slightly a hack job in itself.) More importantly, the PCI graphics cards were all older, which means drastically different drivers. If I went with an NVidia card, there would likely be problems with the main monitor, if system files got overwritten with the older chipset files, and if I went with ATI there's always the possibility that down the road a driver update or installer would check the system, and as soon as it saw a non-NVidia or non-ATI card it would either not try to install or assume the drivers were old and uninstall them or something worse. The only option I considered was getting an ATI card and doing alittle dance between safe mode boots in which I disable one GPU, install the other's drivers, disable the other and install the opposite's drivers, enable SLI with the ATI disabled, cross my fingers and hope that everything works. There are reports of this working, but by the number of steps, you can tell it isn't a 'supported feature', and who knows if I could change the display resolution without a million reboots.

Instead I got the 8800GTS 512 - an excellent overall performer and the best bang for the buck - for under $200. The two side monitors are driven by the EVGA 1GB Geforce 7950GX2. I decided that since I'm mixing DirectX 9 and 10 cards, I would split the 7950GX2 (leave it out of SLI Mode) and not run DX10 apps on the side monitors (I should note that this is NOT a triple-monitor GAMING setup, just a triple monitor WORK setup with excellent single monitor gaming). I thought that of all the possibilities, this was most likely to work and offer the performance I was looking for, in the configuration I wanted, and at a reasonable price. Got the 8800, installed it, booted, and bam! Worked out of the box with no driver updates. There were a few odd things in the NVidia control panel application, but updating to the latest beta drivers (174.74, I think it was) fixed all those issues (only real oddity was that only one 20" monitor was configurable in the NVidia app, but worked fine in the system Display Control Panel). Totally happy. Totally in awe of the monster I had created.

(Other general specs: 2.66GHz Core2Duo (E6700 Conroe, watercooled), 3GB 800MHz DDR2, ??TB in HDDs (I've lost count, around 5TB), external 5-bay eSATA enclosure, Soundblaster X-Fi Elite, Logitech Z-5500 speakers, and prob missing something - oh well)

I will post pics soon.

~o.O~ new keyboard just got here! Must go play.

Little vacation?

So, when JPD told us he was going on a little vacation and stopping off in Germany, I didn't know he meant he was going to accept Germany's top Neuroscience award. A big 'ole congrats, you dog, you! (Lab page, if you're interested.)

(In the above picture, you'll notice that he does know how to use a pre-1997 Mac. :) )

Over-zealous much?

Just thought I'd point out that the article people are referencing on 'the lab' is a year old. Yeah. I was as surprised to hear we had another Nature paper as everyone else.

This article. Published July 24 2006
Referenced here, and here.

Thought I'd clear that up.

Catching up on old-ish news

Over the next day I'll be catching up on stories that slipped by me as I was setting this blog up. For tonight here are a few...

Our lab/CKI were mentioned in the media lately for our multiple papers are the recent IEEE conference in Hawaii. When our 'troops' returned for our usually Friday meeting, we asked how the meeting went. They started into how the weather was great and they went to the beach and played golf, but didn't realize we were asking how their presentations went. Ah, I tried to offer myself up to "fall on this grenade" but, alas, no data = no hula girls. From RedOrbit:

Three presentations on Saturday, May 5, 2007, by engineers from the Company and collaborators at Brown University highlighted advances in Cyberkinetics' BrainGate Neural Interface System included:

"Multi-State Decoding of Point-and-Click Control Signals from Motor Cortical Activity in a Human with tetraplegia." Authors include Sung-Phil Kim; John Simeral; Leigh Hochberg (VA/Harvard Medical School); John Donoghue; Gerhard Friehs; and Michael J. Black. All authors are affiliated with Brown University. This presentation described the development of "point and click" computer cursor control, which would be necessary to control medical and other devices, including wheelchairs; "Decoding Grasp Aperture from Motor-Cortical Population Activity." Authors include Panagiotis Artemiadis of the National Technical University of Athens; as well as Gregory Shakhnarovich; Carlos Vargas-Irwin; John Donoghue; and Michael J. Black, all of Brown University. This presentation described decoding neural activity to achieve "continuous motion", which would be important in the ability to provide more natural control of a person's own arm and hand movement, as well as prosthetic limbs; and "Automatic Spike Sorting for Real-Time Applications." Authors are Daniel Sebald, a consultant to Cyberkinetics, and Almut Branner, of Cyberkinetics. This presentation described automatic sorting of brain signals, which significantly reduces the time between a person's thought about movement and the ability to put the thought into action, which is aimed at providing "real-time" performance.

I am posting at 3am right now, which means I could really use a device that would just put me to sleep with the press of the button. Hrm, where could I find one of those? Oh, here!



Interestingly, is basically forces subcortical structures to into a delta oscillation using TMS and you just fall asleep. There is a series of rhythm changes they refer to as Sleep on Command, and a beta oscillation mode to aid student in studying. My lord. I could be the Ultimate Grad Student! Imagine a grad student that never slept! PIs around the world begin drooling. From PR.com...

The sequenced frequency system called Sleep on Command™ was first released to the public in May 2005 and provides clients with an extraordinary sleep experience. The Sleep on Command™ trademark was filed in early 2006. An Alert Mode (low Beta wave) program was added in 2006 to aid students in studying, and to aid drivers in maintaining alertness and reducing physical and mental fatigue on long trips. It works equally well in desk job
environments.

The device costs $500 and can be purchased directly from the company website (with a 1-year warranty). I think I might order one. *counting pennies* Actually, this is the gimmicky device version which you put under your mattress - so it doesn't penetrate your skull. And here I thought I had found a sleep on/off switch. *sigh*

Meetings

No matter how interesting the topic is, my attention wavers during these all-day meetings. I'm probably going to regret not sitting on the edge of my seat, anticipating every word. There are some powerhouses within feet of me. John Donoghue, Michael Black, Bob Kirsch, Dawn Taylor, Hunter Peckhem, and, well, everyone here is damn impressive. That means I better get working!