Narrow Results

Whole brain emulation aims to re-implement functions of a mind in another computational substrate with the precision needed to predict the natural development of active states in as much as the influence of random processes allows. Furthermore, brain emulation does not present a possible model of a function, but rather presents the actual implementation of that function, based on the details of the circuitry of a specific brain. We introduce a notation for the representations of mind state, mind transition functions and transition update functions, for which elements and their relations must be quantified in accordance with measurements in the biological substrate. To discover the limits of significance in terms of the temporal and spatial resolution of measurements, we point out the importance of brain region and task specific constraints, as well as the importance of in-vivo measurements. We summarize further problems that need to be addressed.

Whole brain emulation aims to re-implement functions of a mind in another computational substrate by carefully emulating the function of fundamental components, and by copying the connectivity between those components. The precision with which this is done must enable prediction of the natural development of active states. To accomplish this, in vivo measurements at large scale and high resolution are critically important. We propose a set of requirements for these empirical measurements. We then outline general methods leading to acquisition of a structural and functional connectome, and to the characterization of responses at large scale and high resolution. Finally, we describe two new project developments that tackle the problem of functional recording in vivo, namely the "molecular ticker-tape" and the integrated-circuit "Cyborcell".