**The Brain** in Brain Computer Interface

An Do, MDDepartment of Neurology

University of California, Irvine

The Brain

• Source of thought, behaviors, and perceptions

• Composed of billions of neurons in interconnected networks

Brain Anatomy

• 3 Major Parts– Cerebrum

• Frontal lobe• Temporal lobe• Parietal lobe• Occipital lobe

– Brainstem– Cerebellum

Frontal Lobe Parietal Lobe

Temporal Lobe

Occipital Lobe

Cerebellum

Brainstem

Movement

Sensation

Coordination

Left vs Right Brain

The Nervous System

Brain Function Integration

• Integration of all brain functions and neurological processes is similar to how multi-core computer processors work.

Diseases of the Nervous System

• In such a complicated system, if any part is damaged, many problems can occur.

• Neurologists, neurosurgeons, and neuroscientists study these problems

Stroke

Seizures

Parkinson’s disease

Dementia

Brain Cancer

Spinal Cord Injury

Neurological Injury

• Injury to the nervous system often causes irreversible damage– results in disability, sometimes devastating– occasionally results in very bizarre symptoms

• Neurologists, neurosurgeons, and neuroscientists are actively studying brain injury to arrive at new understanding of the brain and new treatments– the Brain Computer Interface is one such example

Why study the brain and nervous system ?

• It’s the control center !• There are many things even scientists still don’t

know• Search for better understanding of brain function

and brain repair

• The answer to these problems will rely not only on the current generation of physicians and scientists alone, but also on future generations to come