"RISE AND SHINE": TED talk video by Simon Lewis about his recovery from a serious brain injury, and how technology helped.

Simon Lewis was in an automobile accident that resulted severe injuries to his body, including a very severe head injury that left him in a coma.  As a result of his experience, he wrote a book, "RISE AND SHINE", covering his journey over 15 years of recovery and regeneration.  In the book, Lewis shares what he learned along the way, and how cutting edge technology and some non-traditional thinking helped him move forward.


Simon Lewis had the opportunity to discuss his journey at a TED partner event in India in December, 2010.   The following video of his talk is about 22 minutes long, but worth taking the time to watch. A variety of visuals are used to illustrate his journey and the research he did along the way. Near the end of the video, Simon Lewis demonstrates some of the technologies that he wears that supports his functioning.


Here is the blurb about the book from the Borders website:

"An impassioned tale of survival and recovery, this inspirational story recounts the author’s horrific car accident, his subsequent coma, and the more than 15 years of cutting-edge treatments and therapies endured during convalescence. With specific details of the rigorous rehabilitation process that ensued, including numerous breakthrough and experimental surgeries, the book also provides practical insight into navigating the treacherous world of insurance and how to differentiate between the often conflicting medical opinions offered. In addition to describing the numerous procedures undergone, the author tells not only of his pain, frustration, and despair, but also of his childlike wonder at the beauty and miracle of creation. A first-person account of sudden, unexpected tragedy and life-affirming courage, this remarkable tale of regeneration imparts lessons both medical and spiritual."


The Rise and Shine website includes many of the graphics used in Simon's video, and is worth taking some time to explore. Some of the graphics are interactive. (Since the website relies on Flash, it won't work if you try to access it using an iPad.)


Comment:  As a school psychologist with additional training in neuropsychology - specifically assessment and intervention for children and teens who have experienced traumatic brain injury (TBI), this topic is important to me.  I'm watching the video a second time, and I plan to read his book.


(Cross-posted on the Interactive Multimedia Technology blog.)

The NeuroNetwork: A professional network dedicated to the study of the brain

I am the first to admit that the process of returning to school to take computer courses, combined with easy access to the Internet has turned me into a knowledge junkie, and since I have limited time to feed this habit, I've joined a few on-line groups where I can browse around if I get the urge.

The most recent group I've joined is the NeuroNetwork. Why?

During the 2008-09 year, I participated in neuropsychology training geared for school psychologists who work with children and teens who have suffered traumatic brain injuries. There is so much going on in neuropsychology and related fields, and some of it I had never heard of before. There is quite a few things going on within the intersection of technology and the cognitive sciences!

The NeuroNetwork has over 1000 members. Here is a visual of the interests of the members:




There are several subgroups within the NeuroNetwork. Here's information about some of them:

Theoretical Neuroscience



"Dedicated to exploring theoretical constructs in neuroscience, using a synergy of experimental, mathmatical, and computational methods"

Neuropsychiatry in Schizophrenia and Intellectual Disabilities



"The interest in neurobiological approaches and the cerebral and systemic pathology of mental disorders is essential. Neurotransmitter, brain imaging, etc."


Brain-Computer Interfaces


"Bridging the gap between human and machine minds. We discuss everything related to invasive and non-invasive BCI."

Neuropsychology
"A discussion place especially dedicated to neuropsychology and its empirical research on the relation between brain and human cognitive, emotional, and behavioral function as well as its clinical application."

Organization for Computational Neurosciences


"The Organization for Computational Neurosciences (OCNS) organizes the international Computational Neuroscience meeting (CNS) each year. CNS is a premier forum for experimental and theoretical results addressing computation in the brain"

Upcoming Conference:

CNS 2010 July 25th - 29th, San Antonio, Texas

CNS 2009 Program Book (pdf)

Sample topics from CNS 2009:
CARMEN: An e-science virtual laboratory supporting collaboration in neuroinformatics
Python in Neuroscience
Quantitative Models of Natural Behaviour
Cortical Microcircuit Models of Information Processing and Placticity
Methods of Information Theory in Computational Neuroscience
CRCNS.ORG: A repository of high-quality data sets and tools for computational neuroscience
Emergence of behavioral primitives in self-organizing control and composition of behavior for autonomous robots
Large scale model of the human brain

Revisiting Interactive 3-D Brain Anatomy : The Secret Life of the Brain Website

I'm attending the first of three two-day institutes about neuropsychology, focusing on the assessment and intervention of traumatic brain injuries. It has been a while since I studied neuropsychology, so to brush up, I revisited Secret Life of the Brain, an on-line companion to the PBS series of the same name that aired in 2002. The materials cover the human brain from infancy through old age.

My favorite section of this website is the interactive 3-D Brain Anatomy tour. This on-line application allows for zooming in and out, 360 degree rotation, and exploration of the brain by area or function. When you roll over a brain part, you can find more information. The specific area of the brain becomes highlighted, and the rest of the brain becomes translucent.

Description from the website:
"THE SECRET LIFE OF THE BRAIN, a David Grubin Production, reveals the fascinating processes involved in brain development across a lifetime. The five-part series, which will premiere nationally on PBS in winter 2002, informs viewers of exciting new information in the brain sciences, introduces the foremost researchers in the field, and utilizes dynamic visual imagery and compelling human stories to help a general audience understand otherwise difficult scientific concepts."