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Here is a video link to a 30 minute presentation I gave earlier this year at a conference on the Geoethical Implications of Neuronanotechnology hosted by the Terasem Movement at Martine Rothblatt's Vermont retreat. The title of my talk is Perception Shifting in a Neurosociety: Ethical and Societal Implications. The slides for the talk can be downloaded on the conference program webpage (scroll down to Topic D, Neuro-Nanotechnology Geoethics). There you will find links to video and powerpoint. Or just click here for video. The content of this talk is similar to presentations that I have given to corporations and governments around the world including the Arab Strategy Forum in Dubai and GE executives at their annual 10 year strategic forecasting meeting. Enjoy.

If you are not busy attending the 2nd annual Neurotech Industry Conference on May 17-18, 2007 in San Francisco, you might consider heading over to Italy in May for the first NeuroLeadership Summit which will bring together top neuroscientists with leadership development experts and senior business executives, to collaborate on addressing some of today’s most important organizational challenges. Issues like how to drive positive change, speed up learning, manage through uncertainty, deal with information overload, and make better decisions. This conference and the birth of this new field is further evidence that we are witnessing the emergence of a neurosociety, where social, economic and political change are increasingly being driven by advances in neurotechnology.

For those who suffer from chronic pain there is hope. A story from last week's NYTimes:

"Geneticists following up the case of a 10-year old Pakistani boy who could walk on coals without discomfort have discovered a gene that is central to the perception of pain. A mutation in the gene knocks out all perception of injury, raising hopes of developing novel drugs that would abolish pain by blocking the gene’s function. The boy lived in Lahore, Pakistan, and was well known to the city’s medical authorities because he would come to the clinic asking to be patched up after his street theater. In these exhibitions, he would pass knives through his arms and walk on burning coals without feeling pain...

After six years of work, Dr. Woods found that the affected members of all three families had a defect in a gene known as sodium channel N9A, or SCN9A...The SCN9A gene is active both in nerves that mediate pain and in those of the sympathetic nervous system, which controls vital bodily functions like heart rate. But for reasons that are not yet understood, the affected members of the Pakistani families had no symptoms of a disordered sympathetic nervous system, such as irregular heart rate, and seemed entirely normal apart from the occasional self-inflicted damage caused by their inability to feel pain. Several had inadvertently bitten off the tips of their tongue in infancy."

Nearly 300 million people worldwide suffer from chronic pain and this research should go a long way in helping uncover new ways to alleviate their daily torment. (Note: image of brain pain center is not related to this article but is related to permanently relieving pain.)

Some mints make pennies, some make quarters, MIT's new McGovern Institute Neurotechnology (MINT) program is making the future of the brain.

Lead by Charles Jennings the new McGovern Institute Neurotechnology (MINT) Program aims to develop new technologies that will advance the study of neuroscience and its translation into clinical applications. Jennings has a diverse background in biomedical research, science communication and academic administration. Following postdoctoral studies in developmental biology at Harvard and MIT, he became an editor with the scientific journal Nature. He was the founding editor of Nature Neuroscience, widely considered a leading journal in its field. More recently, he was the first executive director of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, and he continues to serve as an advisor to the Connecticut Stem Cell Research Program.

“We are delighted to have recruited Charles Jennings to MIT,” said Robert Desimone, director of the McGovern Institute. “Brain research has always been driven by technological innovation, and the MINT Program will be central to our strategic development as we focus increasingly on translating basic research discoveries into new clinical applications. We have already begun several collaborative projects under this program, and we look forward to its expansion under Charles’ direction.”

Sleep troubles or Insomnia is difficulty in getting sleep, disturbed sleep or getting in the early hours in the morning and being unable to get back to sleep.

Causes of Insomnia:
The primary causes of sleep problems or Insomnia includes -

1. Domestic Worries
2. Over excitement
3. Ill health
4. Depression
5. Withdrawal of sleeping tablets
6. Consumption of caffeine late in the evening

Signs and symptoms of Insomnia:
Signs and symptoms of Insomnia include not having enough sleep constantly. Every person’s do not require same amount of sleep. On an average 8 hours of sleep is considered as ideal but some people need more while others far less.

Home remedies for Insomnia:
Coriandrum Sativum in the form of 15ml of expressed juice well mixed with sugar and water induces sleep. Regular exercise also helps in relieving from sleeplessness to a great extent.