Cynthia Zakhem:

Main point of research: In order to advance AI, we need to reverse engineer the brian.

● For decades, engineers built many algorithms for machine vision, yet those algorithms
each fell far short of human capabilities.

● In parallel, cognitive scientists and neuroscientists accumulated myriad measurements

describing how the brain processes visual information. They described the neuron ,
discovered that many neurons are arranged in a specific type of multi-layered, “deep”
network, and measured how neurons inside that neural network respond to images of the
surroundings.

● They characterized how humans quickly and accurately respond to those images, and
they proposed mathematical models of how neural networks might learn from experience.
Yet, these approaches alone failed to uncover the brain’s algorithms for intelligent visual
perception.

● The key breakthrough came when researchers used a combination of science and
engineering.

● Some researchers began to build algorithms out of brain-like, multi-level, artificial neural
networks so that they had neural responses like those that neuroscientists had measured in
the brain. They also used mathematical models proposed by scientists to teach these deep
neural networks to perform visual tasks that humans were found to be especially good at
— like recognizing objects from many perspectives.

● This combined approach rocketed when computer hardware had advanced enough for
engineers to build these networks and teach them using millions of visual images.

● This deep learning revolution launched a new era in AI. It has completely reshaped
technologies from the recognition of faces and objects and speech, to automated language
translation, to autonomous driving, and many others.

● Deep learning algorithms resulted from a new understanding of just one layer of human
intelligence (visual perception). There is no limit to what can be achieved from a deeper
understanding of other algorithmic layers of intelligence.

● Progress did not result from engineers and scientists working alone; it resulted from the
convergence of engineering and science. When engineers guide their algorithm-building
 and testing efforts with discoveries and measurements from brain and cognitive science,
we get a Cambrian explosion in AI.

● This approach of working backwards from measurements of the functioning system to

engineer models of how that system works is called reverse engineering.

● Discovering how the human brain works in the language of engineers will not only lead
to transformative AI, it will also illuminate new approaches to helping those who are
blind, deaf, autistic, schizophrenic, or who have learning disabilities or age-related
memory loss.

Ryan Freese- Notes

Why should we reverse engineer the brain?

- General Purpose AI has remained elusive. As artificial brains have been designed without
much attention to the real human brain. AI pioneers are developing AI much how humans
designed flight, without birds.
- We already know the brain has neurons, networks, sends messages, builds more
connections, but we want to know more. Such advancements to understanding the brain
will allow humanity to grow and develop drugs, neural implants etc in our future. Brain
Disorders and brain damage may be one day circumvented,
- Simulation of proteins will be key in testing new drugs, these sophisticated computer
simulations would help us understand disaster simulations, drug simulations, and
potential life saving simulations. This power comes from the increased computing power
from parallel computing to our brain.
- Nerve cells traditionally form tens of thousands of connections with its neighbors, while
basic computers usually have tens. AI comes in the forms of these massive overloaded
connections.

Other Application

- Speech recognition, machine vision systems in automated factories, in-body devices to

aid with medical structural support, broken bone repair, damage to hippocampus a brain
structure for memory and learning can prevent nerve cells from properly firing,
understanding how this works can help us repair it. Brain-mimicking neural chips that
help restore sight, hearing, treating parkinsins, Restoring normal memory cognition.
Controlling artificial limbs through nerve conduction,
Challenges so far:

- We need modern noninvasive methods for measuring activity of many brain cells.
- Our brain houses a secret decipher far mor complex than anything else, beyond binary,
beyond anything, Cracking that code could tell us why exactly a cluster of three nerves
moves our hand.
- We know that nerves function by firing pulses of energy that release small molecules
called neurotransmitters, which induce their neighbors to fire off their own code- but its
hard to trace one signal as its made up of several thousand signals at once, It does not
help that these cells fire at different rates.
- Bypass the gate of on/off. Our brain does not operate in ones and zeros, so what are we?
Neurons operate on levels of EXCITEMENT, not power.
- We cannot just reverse engineer the brain, Like a machine, that would require us taking it
apart, studying every bit of it, and putting it back together, Forget the fact there are
TRILLIONS OF NEURONS, this is a live human brain and taking it apart would kill the
brain immediately,]
- https://www.quora.com/How-is-reverse-engineering-of-the-brain-done
- Using our knowledge we learned by studying the human brain, construct a computer
with the exact same structure and function, using different non-biological materials
(i.e. metal wires, plastic etc.). As long as we have substitutes that approximate the
functions of neurons, glial cells and neurotransmitters, the materials we use shouldn’t
matter. Just as there are multiple materials you can build a computer with, there
should be multiple materials you can build a brain with. The material you use is
merely a means to an end - what is more important is the way the system functions.

- Instead of creating a physical model of the human brain, we could simply create a
computer simulation. This is probably the easiest method because you don’t have to
find substitute materials, you can create virtual neurons with the exact same
structure. We will probably create a reverse-engineered virtual brain before we ever
create a physical one.
- (FROM QUORA SOURCE)
-

Moving On

Who benefits from the reverse-engineering of the brain and how?

(computer logic) (medicine) (social):

 - Artificial Intelligence, Our logic in computing would spike given the chance for us to
replicate the ways neurons continue to transmit data.
- 2012- we began to code neurons and neurotransmitters allowing computers to understand
and replicate information, and more importantly learn.
- Deep learning can get deeper, Computers learn in a linear path, the more you show it, the
more it can learn about something, and the smarter it gets with more data. Humans learn
exponentially, we can see a cat and IMMEDIATLY recognize something else asa cat,
even if its a completely different color shape and sound. That is due to one packet of data
being divided and sent throughout millions of neurons at once.
- AI in our world will revolutize the internet as search engines will begin to READ not just
look for big keywords
- This will also help us understand brain disorders, and how to better treat them.
- Schitxzophrenaia, deaf, autism, we can all finallyu understand these more than just
surface level problems, but potential help or cure them.
- Health and medicine can be improved, How does the brain chose what to send its healers
too? How does it know parts of the body are damaged? We can use this information to
potential find tumors, cancer, and other malicious objects in our system before any
modern day scans could potential see.
- Fixing neural disorders, or creating neural chips in the brain can lead us to bypass these
issues presented.

How is human psychology, in terms of subliminal messaging, relevant to advertisement?

- Subliminal messaging, all around is a leading provider in profits. Our brain will crave or
desire an object or something without us knowing, and seeing this fuel in an
advertisement, a frame of a movie. A sound/scent associated with the object will make us
conscientiously aware of our desire.
- Subliminal stimuli can indeed change our behavior. Its detailed as words or phrases
presented below or conscious awareness
- Subliminal is not capable of brainwashing, but it can sway our decisions.
- Peripheral vision, sound, smell, can all trigger memory responses in our head, which can
lead us to sway our decisions.

What is the primary barrier to understanding and fixing brain damage?

- The biggest problem comes in three forms

- Binary vs Excitement
- The Brain operates in Excitement levels, and thousands of neurons could fire the
same pulse at the same time but at different rates and power based on excitement.
We dont understand what causes excitement to occur, or what causes its levels to
fluctuate.
 - Computers operate in ones and zeroes, on and off. It would be similar if the ones
and zeros had millions of different colors associated with it
- We need to understand and decrypt the code of the brain to better understand it.
- The actual reverse engineering
- As stated before we need to find a way to investigate the brain better without
actually cracking the skull open
- Deceased brains are good, but nowhere enough, but we can dive into them more.
- In a perfect world, seeing the brain from the inside with it still alive would be the
most optimal way to reverse-engineer the brain.
- Develop a more modern non-invasive way to analyze the brain
- Lack of resource and funding
- Schools need to raise students to be able to preform this task
- We lack funding for such a topic
-

https://www.quora.com/Is-it-possible-for-doctors-to-distinguish-between-actual-amnesiac-a
nd-someone-faking-amnesia

https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/articles/how-subliminal-images-impact-your
-brain-and-behavior-344858
https://bigthink.com/articles/three-reasons-to-reverse-engineer-the-brain/
http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/challenges/9109.aspx
https://www.quora.com/How-is-reverse-engineering-of-the-brain-done
https://science.mit.edu/reverse-engineer-the-brain/
Connor Dunfee
Primary Focus: Primary Medical, sort of general research after.
The Gestalt Cortex (pictured right) is widely believed to be what causes individual
interpretation of the same information. Yet the Gestalt is the same in most people, so
why do we have individual thoughts? Biochemical and Electrical firings of neurons
cause thoughts to be generated. In patients with Alzeheimers, the largest issue is a
faulty brain-blood barrier. The Brain is shrouded in mystery as well, it is nothing simple in the
slightest. Awake Brain surgeries are possible. Some individuals who can play an instrument and
have played an instrument for many years may have brain surgery awake to play their
instrument. This is to prevent, essentially trick, the brain into believing no neurological
damage/tampering is occurring. Yet it did not bolster the surgery itself. The release of serotonin
and other sedative chemicals may be at play for the lack of ‘alert’ the brain went into. Some of
the inhibiting factors of brain treatment are tied to the sheer complexity. Even now, the brain is
not fully understood. The Brain is adaptive in nature, often conforming around the idea of peer
pressures and typically normalities of what is and is not socially acceptable. From a medical
standpoint, the effects of peer pressure show that we, as social beings, yearn for the acceptance
of people around us, and this stimulates our risk and reward department in our brain. Why do we
develop interests? Once again, the stimulation from our brain believes the activity to be
interesting and rewarding, providing some benefit to us. As humanity has progressed, so has our
importance on social constructs. As previously stated, our Brain is adaptive to any and all
situations. An unadaptive Brain is abnormal to see. Much of modern day psychology can be
attributed to the rapidly increasing presence of interconnected thoughts and ideas. Our Brain has
adapted to synthesize the plethora of information we receive day in and day out to formulate an
opinion based on what our Brain believes to be interesting and rewarding, tying back to the
Gestalt Cortex. Yet because we have the world’s knowledge at our fingertips, our brain has
adapted to place less importance on long-term memory. Although we believe our long-term
memory to be endless, our brains have adapted to place less importance on what goes into our
long-term and what remains short-term. Since we have devices and other resources to track our
long-term memory, we have gotten progressively worse at retaining long-term memory. Often
the development of our brain is very crucial to where we have gotten and where we will get, and
as our brain has adapted at a young age to depend on external resources, we have lost some
semblance of autonomy. Long term memories are only made after the fixation of an idea or topic
is repeated over and over. Repetition is HIGHLY important to the function of the brain. Subcon
is also interesting. Dissociation occurs when the Brain believes it is receiving too much stress.
Where does the stress come from? A feeling of pressure that is placed onto us by expectations of
society. The subconscious roots us to physicality. The subconscious is untapped and may hold
many answers to understanding the brain fully. The Subcon is the ‘final frontier’ of the brain.
People with problems related to the subconscious or the ability to inherently understand what
their subconscious feelings are are evidently more in contact with that part of them. The clarity
of mind and the stabilization of one’s physical body is crucial to developing a more mediated
connection with the subcon.
● https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/consciousness-self-organization-and-neurosci
ence/201705/reverse-engineering-the-brain
○ Brain compared to Mandelbrot set, in the sense that intelligence, like the complex
shapes of a Mandelbrot shape, rely on the interaction of simpler parts to form
something complex
○ The idea that mapping a worm’s neurons and synapses could predict how the
brain reacts to all stimuli, or is more detail needed?
○ Human Brain Project wants to map entire human brain using European
supercomputers to test previous questions
○ All rules must be known for complexity to show in computer simulation
○ Nonlinearity: the idea that progress isn’t linear, and small discoveries can lead to
enormous progress
○ Lack of understanding of the brain’s basic function still, from memories, to
unconnected receptors, to overall structure
○ Like Mandelbrot sets, brains show activity on a huge range of scales
■ Neuron vs neurocortical columns or cell assemblies
● https://neuroscience.stanford.edu/news/qa-reverse-engineering-human-brain-growing-neu
ral-circuits-lab
○ Challenges surrounding studying brain disease
○ Most understanding of human brain comes from extrapolation from rodent brains
■ Errors based on evolution
■ Errors based on cell types
■ Errors based on brain connectivity
○ Most people would probably be surprised how little scientists know about the
brain’s function
○ Brain development takes a long time, which makes it hard to study
■ We know just enough to know how little we know
 ○ Merging regions of artificial brains is much easier than expected, as they want to
bond and combine

Sources:
https://science.mit.edu/reverse-engineer-the-brain/
https://neurosciencenews.com/neuroscience-terms/gestalt-cortex/
https://engineering.mit.edu/engage/ask-an-engineer/what-are-thoughts-made-of/
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/how-alzheimers-disease-treated
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32505870/
https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/trend/archive/spring-2020/putting-neuroscience-in-the-clas
sroom-how-the-brain-changes-as-we-learn
https://academic.oup.com/book/34093/chapter-abstract/289308590?redirectedFrom=fullt
ext
https://www.funderstanding.com/theory/child-development/peer-pressure-and-the-young-
adults-brain/
https://human-memory.net/long-term-memory/
https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.0903620106
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subconscious
Matthew Jackson

From looking at several scholarly sources including those from the Association for
Computing Memory (ACM) and others from PNAS, it is clear that reverse-engineering the brain
can mean a lot of different things, but the primary focus of research involved in working in
reverse-engineering the brain involves two primary focuses. 1) Reverse engineering the brain by
building AI that resembles similar biological brain structures and can perform similar tasks, and
2) Reverse engineering the brain to gain further biological understandings of its form and
function. By the nature of research involved in reserve engineering the brain (like this study,
which was on a new imaging technique for analyzing active brains, called OR-PAM) these two
focuses are also very closely related, though, each one involves different benefits. For example,
in focus 1, isolated progress in its domain would mean a computational evolution. In terms of all
things which operate under the supervision of computational logic (as discussed in this
SpringerLink article), there could be massive benefits to reap, increasing the efficacy of systems
and allowing computers to better work with and benefit humans. In reference to this research, we
can learn a lot about the current state of our understanding of neuroscience, and the current state
of computational models that execute their functions. Rodney Brooks discussed our current
computational models involved in mimicking the brain function and form via the blanket term
“artificial intelligence.” Though Brooks discusses this in depth in his article, “The Relationship
Between Matter and Life,” (very useful source for connection between biology to AI studies) the
main focus in regard to the current limitations of AI can be summarized:

“The parameters of our models are wrong…We are below some complexity threshold…We lack
computing power…We are missing something fundamental and unimagined.”

It seems that for a majority of the issues involved in the cooperation between the
neuroscience field and artificial intelligence are those that are considered by computer scientists
and AI scientists, such as the first 3 points. Though, in reference to biological studies, the last
point is something that resides outside of the scope of computer scientists, and is a focus that
must be addressed by researching the brain for fundamental systems, ensuring that we can better
understand the exact micro and macroscopic systems involved in the function of a brain. It seems
that biological studies on the brain typically involve dissecting and experimenting on mouse
brain, in living and deceased mice and typically yield vague and often inconclusive results. As a
result of the nature of these experiments, many neuroscientists turn to more abstracted research
as a way to understand the brain and how it functions relevant to its societal impression, in other
words, the research studies the brain from a macroscopic perspective, looking at how its outputs
are effected by its inputs rather than researching more about its integrated systems and
understanding less-abstracted, lower level ideas. This is where another big problem is found in
the areas of neuroscience, that it is difficult to allocate research resources properly if we cannot
tell if our issues with developing artificial brain-based computational logic systems are a result of
misaligned research into neuroscience from a macroscopic or microscopic lens (here is a good
article explaining more details about this divide from Science.org). It seems that it is difficult to
evaluate which research approaches are more beneficial in yielding useful results. In other
words, from what level of abstraction can we find where we have a unimaged exploratory gap in
the field of neuroscience? Additionally, moral and technical challenges are introduced as we
continue doing research using animal testing, often through using mice, which results to be both
challenging to obtain, and also difficult to apply.

Annabel Lee:
Main focus of research: medical and psychological applications of reverse-engineering the brain

Why should we work on reverse-engineering the brain?

- AI software hasn’t actually come that far, there are programs that can do a specific task,
but there isn’t actually really a way to make a general-purpose AI that can be presented
with and deal with any type of problem
- Knowing fully how the brain works can allow this challenge to be accomplished

Research on repairing broken brains

- Damage from injury or disease to the hippocampus can disrupt proper electrical signaling
for nerve cells, which are needed for forming and recalling memories, which is very
important for learning
- Scientists have already started to design computer chips that mimic the communication
skills of the human brain
- Thai can be really useful in cases of healthy brain tissue being starved for info
because of damaged tissue creating obstacles and barriers to transmit electrical
signals from one part to another
- Signals from the healthy part could be recorded by a chip and new signals can be
generated to bypass the damage
- There are already existing neural prostheses such as cochlear implants which treat
hearing loss and electrodes to treat Parkinson’s disease
- There is also progress being made in artificial retinas which are light-sensitive chips that
could help restore vision
- There are really ambitious ideas coming underway for more advanced prosthesis, such as
implants that can take info from the brains nerve cells and then sending those signals to a
device that could decode the brain’s intentions, then send it back to an artificial limb or
direct to nerves and muscles
- Also, there has been some research into implants that could be capable of reading the
thoughts of immobilized patients and then sending info from their brains to an external
computer, so that people in comas or unable to communicate through speech or
movement a way to communicate better with the world
 - The brain and its cognition doesn’t come from exact precision and high-performance
computing like it does for computers right now, but instead it can be defined as a very
efficient and resilient form of computation over a lot of inexact, slow, and not very
reliable analog components
- Cognition is considered here, for the sake of the argument, as decision making by a
motivated agent acting in the context of a given environment, such as a chess player
making moves on the board. The cognitive task complexity, accounting for all possible
states of the environment reachable by the agent, suffers from exponential scaling in the
depth onto breadth of decision making, and quickly grows to astronomical proportions
for any but relatively simple tasks.

- His work involves building computer circuits that mimic the brain to replicate neural
processes. As part of a five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health, his team is
studying the role of brainwaves in fear and reward circuits in our brain, including
possible interventions to prevent anxiety.
- According to the NAE, reverse-engineering the brain could help dementia patients
remember. It may help people with visual impairments see or those who are
wheelchair-bound walk.

- Advances have also been made in techniques such as patch clamping, which allows the
study of single or multiple ion channels in cells, particularly excitable cells such as
neurons, cardiomyocytes, muscle fibers, and pancreatic beta cells.
- On the theoretical side, we develop new algorithms for analyzing the resulting data, and
then develop models to interpret this data.

Sources
- Grand Challenges - Reverse-Engineer the Brain (engineeringchallenges.org)
- https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1313114110
- Feeling anxiety? Reverse-engineering the brain could help // Mizzou Engineering
(missouri.edu)
- Reverse Engineering the Brain - IEEE Life Sciences

WIREFRAME
- Medical Usage
- Neuroprosthetics
- Implants
- Static vs moving
- The senses with emphasis on Sight and Hearing,
- History- How it came along- Past present future- Dementia, restoring sight, bone
implanted hearing aids
- Experience, Why did we choose this- Personal Stories.
- 6 boxes- personal story
- One row rectangle for group story,

- Works Cited page annotated biliogtaphy- Ryan got this

 Pre-flection

Our grand challenge of reverse engineering the brain is one that can be subdivided, like
other grand challenges, into its own number of challenges. One of the most direct challenges is
that we can make a meaningful impact on ideals with the social perception of reverse
engineering the brain. When it comes to talking about the application of reverse engineering the
brain to someone with no background knowledge of the subject, we found that many people
rejected the idea, but also didn’t fully understand what reverse engineering the brain could
actually mean for the real world. Generally, people who received information about our
challenge would immediately jump to talking about a full-fledged sci-fi idea of the implications
of the subject, referencing cybernetic enhancements, involuntary neural implants, and artificial
humans revolting against humanity. All traditional Hollywood movie tropes, but not exactly
indicative of the value of modern brain research. Instead, we want to use our empathetic
experience and catalog in order to flip this connotation associated with reverse engineering the
brain from negative to positive. In order to do this, we need to approach the right audience and
deliver the right message. In our case, we will be approaching the minds of our peers, especially
given they (and we) are future engineers with the chance to make serious developments in this
area of research.
So why is it important to reverse engineer the brain? And how will we use our exhibit to
explain this? Well, alongside the huge number of advancements that reverse engineering the
brain could have on AI, we wanted to focus on how better understanding the brain could
positively impact those with nervous conditions that prohibit one or more of their senses,
possibly providing them with the option to gain a new sense and experience the world
differently. Given the massive number of people in the world living without sight, sound, speech,
or impaired motor skills, we want more people to care about brain research, and understand how
it can be used to design better prosthetics, hearing or speech aids, and more safely repair nerves.
Additionally, brain research is prohibited tremendously by the research invested into it, since
monitoring brain activity and responses can be incredibly expensive, as nearly all moral options
require large precision machinery in order to get accurate images without damaging the brain in
any way. In order to make it possible for these research and development expenses to be made,
we need to create a public incentive for developing these technologies in the first place.
Hopefully, our exhibit can be serve as a small-scale implementation of the change we hope to
make.
 Outline

1) Introduction
a) Anatomical Context
i) Left and Right Brain; Frontal Lobe.
ii) Gestalt Cortex
iii) Parietal Lobe
b) Make known what our purpose is and what we plan to do to achieve it.
2) How can we better illustrate?
a) A brief rundown of our stations/exhibits.
b) Hearing
i) Can you read lips?
ii) Hands-on
c) Sight
i) Can you draw without seeing?
ii) Hands-on
d) Taste
i) Can you taste the ‘Sour’ in a Sour Patch Kid?
ii) Free Snacks
iii) Super-Short explanation of Miracle Berries
e) Briefly show what it's like to not have these senses, to be deprived.
f) Summary: Show why people should care about Reverse Engineering the Brain by
taking away the senses they have taken for granted and show that through more
care and advancement we can offer a solution.
3) The Future of Prosthetics
a) An explanation of the process of prosthetics and how they can be improved
i) Demo with a Fluid ‘prosthetic’ vs a Rigid ‘prosthetic’.
ii) Explain the importance of a connection between nerves for a prosthetic.
4) Concluding Statement
a) Why should they care?
i) Ensuring that everyone has the same access and quality of life if they
desire it.
ii) As Mines Students, we can help advance technology and understanding of
the Brain and to further our past efforts and research beyond any other.
iii) Personal connections to family members or friends who have been
diagnosed with cerebral problems.
Wireframe Drawings and Layout
Main Font: Georgia (it is easy to read)
Big Titles: Anton (it is very bold)
I am very open to changing these
List of Material:

● Sight
○ Blind fold
○ White board and expo markers

● Speech:
○ Speak out

● Hearing:
○ Noise canceling headphones

● Motor Skills/ Prosthetics:

○ Mechanical claw pincher

● Extras just in case:

○ Sour Patch Kids, Miracle Berries.

Decorative aspects of the project:

● Model brain
● Powerpoint for introduction and conclusion
● Signs for each station

💪)
Roles and responsibilities:(Divide and conquer
● Introduction: Cynthia
● Sight: Caleb
● Speech: Matt
● Hearing: Connor
● Motor Skills/ Prosthetics:Ryan
● Conclusion: Annabel

Title Font
Regular writing font