Current Brain Knowledge? - (Jun/13/2010 )

I am interested in building replacements for every single body part and bodily function, (with a sort of non biological replacement, more electrical and mechanical.) in order to support the brain. I know that the brain is the least understood body part, but my wonder is just how understood is it? If actuators controlled by brain signals were to be made, how far from knowing which areas of the spinal cord that could control such actuators, (be they artifical muscle or actual motors!) are we?
I ask because if we are so far from such a thing that it would be impractical for me to study appropriate fields enough to reach such a goal, then I would choose another goal, such as physics or engineering power systems, which I like slightly more. If it is not impractical, or even already achieved, (I have searched online but have not found anywhere that says such progress) then I would find it MUCH more worth my time studying biomedical engineering, and whichever appropriate fields required to achieve the goal I mentioned above.

Preserving the brain itself is another story, I believe it will require nanotechnology, but I know the least about that. Any comments on that would be great.

Thanks,
Jonny

PS:
If I have not worded the above well enough, then I will explain it simpler: Is it achievable in my lifetime (I am 18) to build a completely non-biological replacement body to support the brain, and perhaps even other systems to prevent the brain itself from degrading?

Don't reinvent the wheel is my short answer.

Nano-bio-tech/Selective-gene-therapy is my longer answer. The body is already very powerful, but misunderstandings have lead people to think that it is weak. Gene-therapy, perhaps with the aid of some nanotech aid, should be able to sustain people, or any living thing, well beyond it's natural life-time (but when this technology is available is not something I could begin to guess). To find fully mechanical solutions to 'replace' the body is narrow-minded, a bit. Furthermore, the 'brain' recieves input from the body, and the 'mind' cannot be said to fully encased in the cranium- I'm not setting up for a philosophical debate about the existance of 'self', but rather, I'd like to point out that hormones and other substances that ater brain activity are created outside of the brain. Also, there is emerging support for the 'gut'-brain: that is to say that there is a lot of input from the gut (emotions, instict, and interactions between the brain and gut). To replace your body would be to replace you- even if you kept the glands, and all the nuerons, you won't necessarily have a brain that was functioning as before- environment is key in biology, and you would be solving all the little problems that nature/evolution has already solved. I am neither qualified nor inspired to delve into all the immediate problems that you could get into. Rather, I suggest you look into methods that alter existing biology, rather than replacing everything.

If you want to live forever, or whatever it is, a more realisitc approach would be to study dream and perception, and then try to alter those functions in the mind so that you can 'experience' many lifetimes in a day. This also seems like hookey-sci-fi, and who knows when/if.

This all interestes me, as well, and I cannot really help you out, too much- should you work your whole life at a shot of extending it so you can do everything you want, or should you just spend your whole life just doing what you want? If you do what you want, you are garunteed some amount of satisfaction, but spending your whole life in a field you are not interested in might get pretty depressing. Better yet- find out what you want to do, make good money at it, and pay OTHER people to do this research.

Pretty ambitious.. and very tough target. It takes a lot of time to understand how the brain works under different conditions. I'd say.. split your target into small ones.. first try to figure out and work on at least one aspect if you get some good result you can think about the rest. No surprise, all young science students feel like this.

st.