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People have different ideas about how their body moves, scientists have confirmed

09.09.2019Russian scientists, together with Spanish colleagues, experimentally confirmed that people mentally represent the movements of their body in different ways. Some have visual imagination, that is, they “see” them, while others have kinesthetic imagination, that is, they imagine the sensations that their muscles experience at work. The data obtained can be used to develop new methods of rehabilitation, for example, for people who have suffered a stroke. The work was published in the journal Scientific Reports. The research was supported by a grant from the Presidential Research Projects Program of the Russian Science Foundation to support world-class laboratories. Most people use visual images in their imagination, that is, they simply imagine an action as if they were seeing it from the outside. This is visual imagination. But some “trained” people, for example, athletes, can imagine the sensations of their muscles. They have a kinesthetic imagination. Different images arise as a result of activation of different areas of the brain. When presenting a picture, the areas responsible for processing visual information are activated, and when using kinesthetic images, the same areas are activated that are involved when performing a real action. Thus, in order to determine the type of imagination in a particular person, you need to understand which part of the brain is actively working during the representation of movement. Press service of the Russian Science Foundation Russian scientists from Innopolis University (Tatarstan) together with colleagues from the Center for Biomedical Technologies of the Technical University of Madrid conducted such a study using magnetoencephalography. A special installation records ultra-weak magnetic fields resulting from the electrical activity of the brain. The more intensely a zone operates, the stronger the magnetic field it emits. Thanks to this, it is possible to understand which parts of the brain were the most active at a particular point in time. The experiment involved 10 volunteers aged from 20 to 31 years. In a special room shielded from the Earth's magnetic field, the subject sat in a chair and put his hands on the armrests. Magnetoencephalograph sensors were placed above his head, which recorded the ultra-weak magnetic fields of the brain. When a beep sounded, the subject had to imagine moving his hand. In front of the volunteer there was a screen on which it was indicated whether the movement of which limb, left or right, should be imagined. Press service of the Russian Science Foundation The data obtained on the functioning of the brain was analyzed in several ways. First, we used the method of transforming mathematical functions, which allows us to trace the smallest changes in the signal over time. In this experiment, the signal was the magnetic activity of the brain. Then artificial intelligence methods were used. In some cases, scientists did not train the neural network, but simply combined data into groups based on similar parameters of brain activity. In others, an artificial neural network was trained to classify the results of an experiment. The use of three different techniques made it possible to create the most complete picture of the processes occurring in the brain. Thanks to this, scientists were able to accurately divide the subjects into 2 groups according to types of imagination. The ability to imagine their movements remains even in a person paralyzed as a result of a brain or spinal cord injury. It is this ability that is used in modern rehabilitation medicine in a special brain-computer interface. An important application of such systems is neurorehabilitation, for example, of patients who have suffered a stroke or suffered a head injury. In this case, imagination of movements will speed up the recovery of motor activity, and it is important to classify patients in advance in terms of the type of movements they imagine. The further rehabilitation strategy will depend on this, which will significantly speed up the process of restoring the body’s motor functions after brain damage,” commented the project leader, professor at Innopolis University Alexander Khramov. Press service of the Russian Science Foundation The post People have different ideas about how their body moves, confirmed by scientists appeared first on Search - news of science and technology.

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2016 was rich in high-profile scientific discoveries and spectacular technical achievements. The discoveries are widely covered in the media, and the most interesting new gadgets were demonstrated at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). For 50 years now it has been a launching pad for innovation and hi-end technologies.

December has arrived and it's time to sum it up the most interesting results of 2016 in science and technology.

Top 10 most notable scientific achievements of 2016

10. Multicellular life is the result of genetic mutation

The GK-PID molecule allows cells to divide, avoiding malignant formations. At the same time, the ancient gene, an analogue of GK-PID, was a building enzyme necessary for the creation of DNA. Scientists have suggested that in some ancient single-celled organism 800 million years ago the GK gene was duplicated, one of the copies of which then mutated. This caused the appearance of the GK-PID molecule, which allowed cells to divide correctly. This is how multicellular organisms appeared

9. New prime number

It became 2^74,207,281 – 1. The discovery is useful for cryptography problems where both very complex and simple Mersenne numbers are used (49 of them were discovered in total).

8. Planet Nine

Scientists from the California Institute of Technology have provided evidence that there is a ninth planet in the solar system. Its orbital period is 15,000 years. However, due to its colossal orbit, not a single astronomer was able to see this planet.

7. Eternal data storage

This 2016 invention was made possible thanks to nanostructured glass, on which information is recorded using ultra-high-speed short and laser pulses. The glass disk holds up to 360 TB of data and can withstand temperatures up to a thousand degrees.

6. Relationship between the blind eye and four-toed vertebrates

A fish called the Taiwan blind eye, which can crawl along walls, has been found to have anatomical abilities similar to amphibians or reptiles. This discovery will allow biologists to better study how the process of transformation of prehistoric fish into terrestrial tetrapods took place.

5. Vertical landing of a space rocket

Typically, spent rocket stages either fall into the ocean or burn up in the atmosphere. Now they can be used for subsequent projects. The launch process will be significantly faster and cheaper, and the time between launches will be reduced.

4. Cybernetic implant

A special chip implanted into the brain of a completely paralyzed man has restored his ability to move his fingers. It sends signals to a glove worn on the subject's hand, which contains electrical wires that stimulate certain muscles and cause the fingers to move.

3. Stem cells will help people after a stroke

Scientists at Stanford University School of Medicine injected human stem cells into the brains of 18 volunteers who had suffered a stroke. All subjects showed improvement in mobility and general well-being.

2. Carbon dioxide stones

Icelandic scientists pumped carbon dioxide into volcanic rock. Thanks to this, the process of transforming basalt into carbonate minerals (later becoming limestone) took only 2 years, instead of hundreds and thousands of years. This discovery will make it possible to store carbon dioxide underground or use it for construction needs without releasing it into the atmosphere.

1. Another Moon

NASA has discovered an asteroid that was captured by Earth's gravity. Now it is in its orbit, in fact being the second natural satellite of the planet.

List of unusual new gadgets of 2016 (CES)

10. Casio WSD-F10 smart watch

This waterproof and very durable gadget works at a depth of up to 50 meters. The “brain” of the watch is the Android Wear OS. can synchronize with Android and iOS devices.

9. Spherical drone

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8. Arke 3D printer

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7. Garmin Augmented Reality Device

Varia Vision is a special display for cyclists placed on sunglasses. It not only informs you about your heart rate and blood pressure, but also helps you plan the optimal route.

6. Origami drone

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5. Virtual reality helmet from HTC

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4. LG SIGNATURE G6V Super Slim OLED TV

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3. Solar Grill

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2. Passenger drone EHang 184

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