[remotemass (OP)]

As we know our brains are not just made of neurons. There are other brain cells and there are fluids with chemicals (electrolytes, neurotransmitters and so) that allow for electrochemical firing and messaging between them.

But I am particularly interested in having an idea on how important are the external surfaces topology (of our neurons external structures) for our memory. And in general, we could extend the questioning, to all other brain cells that are not specifically neurons if you think our memories depend on much more than neurons and actually depends a lot on all other brain cells.

So my questioning goes along the lines of:

Question: If we were able to scan and digitize all points and topology, let's say, at the nanoscale level, of all external surfaces of neurons, (as if they were 100% solid and only the external surfaces of them and the gaps between them mattered), how much of our brain memories would we be - theoretically - able to recover: in a very distant future with the prospects of great technological advances?

Would we able to recover about 1% of our memories, theoretically? About 10%? About 99%?
How much do you think would be potentially possible to recover if such a scan and computer digitization was somehow possible with some fancy crystallography-related advances and technologies? What is your educated guess?

Also, do you think that assuming that our digitization would only need to be on the external surfaces of neurons as if they were 100% solid is reasonable? Or do you consider the internals of neurons particularly important and not to be at all excluded from our brain digitization intents? What about all the brain fluids and their biochemistry, does it affect more our memory contents than what the actual configuration of each of all the electrons in a wire with current flowing through it will affect the total amount of current flowing on it (if the analogy may make some sense to you)?

I am looking for educated perspectives, based mainly on the intuition of the educated experts in brain research, obviously...

#toponeurons #topobraincells #braintopology #brainresearch

[evan_au]

do you consider the internals of neurons particularly important

I heard that if you scan the brains of some animals hibernating over winter, the number of dendrites and synapses (external structure) are greatly reduced. However, as they reawaken, they regrow these structures very quickly.

Some have suggested that the structure of the dendrites and synapses is recorded in the neuron's internal structure, perhaps in the form of microtubules (microtubules form sort of a skeleton for cells).
See: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/arctic-ground-squirrel-brain/

There are other brain cells

Astrocytes are of of these nerve-supporting cells.
- They express the ACE-2 receptor, and so are targeted by the SARS-COV2 virus, killing them.
- It is believed that the death of astrocytes causes the loss of smell frequently found with COVID-19 infection.
- Cells in the peripheral nervous system (including the nose) are quite good at regrowing. However, in some people, the nerve cells have "forgotten" where to reconnect, so some people, when the sense of smell comes back, find their sense of smell radically changed, so their favourite foods taste revolting.
- So in this case, the loss of nerve supporting cells causes loss of the smell memory encoded by the nerve exterior.
- Some researchers have found brain shrinkage after COVID infection - they suggest that a similar effect may be occurring in the brain, resulting in the "brain fog"  associated with Long COVID. Unfortunately, nerves in the brain itself are not so good at regeneration.

[Hamelton]

The brain is the body's most powerful organ. It is the source of all of our thoughts, actions, memories, feelings, and world experiences. One hundred billion nerve cells, or neurons, are contained in this jelly-like mass of tissue, which weighs roughly 1.4 kg. I think.