An Approach to Interfacing the Brain with Quantum Computers: Practical Steps and Caveats

We report on the first proof-of-concept system demonstrating how one can control a qubit with mental activity. We developed a method to encode neural correlates of mental activity as instructions for a quantum computer. Brain signals are detected utilising electrodes placed on the scalp of a person, who learns how to produce the required mental activity to issue instructions to rotate and measure a qubit. Currently, our proof-of-concept runs on a software simulation of a quantum computer. At the time of writing, available quantum computing hardware and brain activity sensing technology are not sufficiently developed for real-time control of quantum states with the brain. But we are one step closer to interfacing the brain with real quantum machines, as improvements in hardware technology at both fronts become available in time to come. The paper ends with a discussion on some of the challenging problems that need to be addressed before we can interface the brain with quantum hardware.Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades PID2019-104002GB-C21Junta de Andalucía P20-00617Shanghai’s Municipality, China 2019SHZDZX01-ZX04 and 20DZ229090

Stress-inducible phosphoprotein 1 (HOP/STI1/STIP1) regulates the accumulation and toxicity of α-synuclein in vivo

The predominantly pre-synaptic intrinsically disordered protein α-synuclein is prone to misfolding and aggregation in synucleinopathies, such as Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Molecular chaperones play important roles in protein misfolding diseases and members of the chaperone machinery are often deposited in Lewy bodies. Here, we show that the Hsp90 co-chaperone STI1 co-immunoprecipitated α-synuclein, and co-deposited with Hsp90 and Hsp70 in insoluble protein fractions in two mouse models of α-synuclein misfolding. STI1 and Hsp90 also co-localized extensively with filamentous S129 phosphorylated α-synuclein in ubiquitin-positive inclusions. In PD human brains, STI1 transcripts were increased, and in neurologically healthy brains, STI1 and α-synuclein transcripts correlated. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) analyses revealed direct interaction of α-synuclein with STI1 and indicated that the STI1 TPR2A, but not TPR1 or TPR2B domains, interacted with the C-terminal domain of α-synuclein. In vitro, the STI1 TPR2A domain facilitated S129 phosphorylation by Polo-like kinase 3. Moreover, mice over-expressing STI1 and Hsp90ß presented elevated α-synuclein S129 phosphorylation accompanied by inclusions when injected with α-synuclein pre-formed fibrils. In contrast, reduced STI1 function decreased protein inclusion formation, S129 α-synuclein phosphorylation, while mitigating motor and cognitive deficits as well as mesoscopic brain atrophy in α-synuclein-over-expressing mice. Our findings reveal a vicious cycle in which STI1 facilitates the generation and accumulation of toxic α-synuclein conformers, while α-synuclein-induced proteostatic stress increased insoluble STI1 and Hsp90

O PORTAL DO CADERNO DE CIDADANIA COMO FERRAMENTA DE INCLUSÃO DIGITAL

Este artigo trata do desenvolvimento de um portal digital para divulgar as ações executadas pelo projeto de extensão da UNIVALI/Cejurps - Programa de Formação e Assessoria em Cidadania Infanto-juvenil - que possui o objetivo de ser uma ferramenta de inclusão digital para crianças e adolescentes. No portal existe um espaço para divulgar novidades, eventos, publicação de artigos, novas parcerias e um fórum para manter contato com os administradores e esclarecer dúvidas na interação com as crianças e os adolescentes. No trabalho de extensão foi utilizado para elaboração do portal e do jogo digital o método indutivo, já que cada etapa foi elaborada e trabalhada detalhadamente para obter-se o resultado final, qual seja, o sítio na internet, com a criação de um jogo digital. O método de procedimento foi o empírico, já que se obteve o auxílio de crianças e adolescentes para a elaboração de cada etapa, fortalecendo o papel da criança como ator social, na busca de um resultado mais efetivo e condizendo com a realidade das crianças