[extropy-chat] Neuro links

[Alejandro Dubrovsky]

On Wed, 2004-09-15 at 23:47 +1000, Brett Paatsch wrote:
> Hi Alex,
>  
> Do you know how much space is between axons, dendrites, synapses on
> neurons in the most densely packed part of the brain? ie how tight do
> neurons pack at
> their tightest and most dense?
>  
> Reason I ask is that I think that is an important design scale
> limit on any servicing/repairing nanobots that might want to get
> between them. 
>  
> In actual fact I suspect that to try and get a nanobot into the
> extracellular spaces between neurons may be impossible, because
> the space may be
> as little as 10s of nanometres in places (and the space map would be
> different for every brain - more different than variations in
> vasculature) and
> no nanobot with a payload worth a damn could get much smaller than a
> half a micron I'd guessimate.
>  
Glial cells everywhere.  Kill a couple and nobody will notice if you
replace them with off the shelf models.   Else, cut, go through, and
repair once on the other side.  (talking out of my ass, as per usual,
and you did seem to imply nano-santas. plus i've got an extra-boring
assignment on the other line).
alejandro