alt Hacker NewsThese type of research seems to always assume that we are a ghost in a machine: the brain is what really matters, and the body is nothing more than a suit. The mind-body problem fascinates me, and I'm skeptical of anyone who held any position with certainty.
The only thing thats certain is that the debate on the mind-body problem is going to be no longer just philosophical/theological, but a practical problem with real world implication. Its exciting and terrifying that we may soon have empirical data refuting or supporting dualism.
The neurons in the brain and body will inevitably learn connectivity patterns to best take advantage of neural signals from the other. Which is kind of an interesting wrinkle to the mind body problem: the brain likely has more capability to remap circuits than the body. So, if you implant a brain into a body... The implanted brain changes more to match the implanted body than vice versa.