Microbiome Affects Brain Function

[Laetum]

Science News on Gut Flora Affecting Brain Function

I thought this finding might be remotely relevant to Whole Brain Emulation technologies.

[Rynn]

Emulating a brain on its own would undoubtedly lead to a dead brain after a few ticks of the simulation. It's absolutely necessary to simulate much of the body too, be they the endocrine system or the microbiome. Without these even if the upload seems healthy it may degenerate over time. Exactly what resolution would be needed for each system is unclear, figuring that out is part of why uploading when it was first developed in the setting had an appalling success rate.

[Alphadon]

This may be a key reason why human and AI minds are never quite the same, even when both are virtual.

[iancampbell]

It seems to me that the probable reason for the microbiome affecting the brain is probably its effect on general health, including the levels of very many chemicals (many of which are as yet undiscovered) in the bloodstream. As far as the brain is concerned, the only things that matter are the chemical composition and flow rate of the blood supply and the cerebrospinal fluid - and of course the sensory data coming in. The latter, of course, includes senses we don't think about and can't consciously perceive. For example, the brain can sense when the gut is getting empty and/or nutrient levels are dropping; this comes to conscious attention as hunger and thirst, but that isn't the raw data.