About the project, life, and the idea of the application

I’ll say it honestly right away: there won’t be large series of posts here or attempts to turn all of this into some kind of large-scale public project. Rather, this is simply a recording of the process — of how everything is developing inside me and around me.

Life right now is quite simple and clear: work, fundamental science, and sometimes applied things that I do more “out of interest” than out of necessity. Everything else is an additional layer that exists in parallel.

I have already written a book. It did not become something widely known or massively discussed, and probably that is exactly why there is no particular desire now to ramp all of this up to large volumes of content. Not because there are no ideas — there are. It’s just that there is no feeling that this necessarily has to turn into something big.

About the idea of the application itself

To put it simply, the idea of the application is connected with what I call generalization.

The human central nervous system is not just a set of wires along which signals run. It is a much more complex structure in which information is not only transmitted, but also constantly processed.

As the signals rise higher — toward the brain — the system becomes more and more branched. It ceases to be linear. It begins to “think” inside itself, even at the level of simple reflexes.

And this property — nonlinearity — seems key to me.

Disability Benefits, Caregiver Payments, and Rehab Equipment in Russia: My Personal Experience and the Reality

When I was 15 years old, I was assigned  group I disability. Until I turned 18, I was registered as a disabled child, and then at 18, my disability status was confirmed as indefinite (lifelong). However, despite having group I, my social pension is currently at the minimum level because I have no work experience. At the moment, I receive a social pension of about 32,000 rubles per month.

Russia is a huge country, and the size of pensions varies significantly by region. In Syktyvkar, where I used to live, the regional coefficient for pensions is 1.2, so my payment there would have been around 36,000 rubles. Meanwhile, my acquaintances in the far east regions have a coefficient of 1.5, and their pension is already about 45–50 thousand rubles.

Pain after spinal cord injury (SCI)

Pain is a common and serious problem for people with spinal cord injury (SCI). It can occur both in areas with preserved sensation and in areas where sensation is reduced or absent. The pain is real and can significantly worsen quality of life, interfering with daily activities and rest.

For most people, the pain becomes chronic and can last for years. It is most often associated with damage to nerves, muscles, or joints. It is difficult to eliminate completely, but it is possible to reduce its intensity and learn to control its effect on life. Pain frequently intensifies anxiety, stress, and depression — and vice versa. This is an interconnected process, not a “psychological invention.”

Main types of pain

1. Neuropathic (nerve) pain

Arises due to damage to nerve structures. It may feel like burning, tingling, “electric shocks,” numbness, or stabbing pain. Sometimes pain occurs even with light touch. It often responds poorly to treatment, so a comprehensive approach is required.

If new or worsening pain appears years after the injury, especially along with changes in sensation, muscle strength, or spasticity, it is important to see a doctor — this may indicate another medical condition. Increased pain can also be triggered by constipation, urinary tract infection, or depression.

Marriage, Disability, and Inequality: Between Necessity and Choice

For many people, marriage is about love, intimacy, partnership, and a shared future. However, for some people with disabilities, marriage takes on an additional dimension. It becomes not only an emotional union, but also a survival strategy, a way to compensate for limitations, a social instrument. And at this point, the romantic ideal collides with reality.

Marriage as a Way to Gain Freedom

Paradoxically, for some people with disabilities, marriage can mean greater independence. A person may not have the ability to travel alone, go outside freely, buy groceries independently, or manage everyday logistics. In environments where social support systems are weak or inaccessible, a partner becomes not only a spouse, but also an assistant — someone who mediates between the person and the outside world.

In such cases, relationships are often built not solely around love, but around practicality and mutual benefit. People live together because it makes sense. One receives physical support; the other may receive emotional stability, social status, or financial advantages. This does not necessarily mean that feelings are absent, but the original motivation for the union may be pragmatic.

Neural network Darwinism 🧠

So, regarding the question of neural network Darwinism 🧠. You should understand that, essentially, the human brain represents a kind of broad neural network controller. It organizes groups of neurons into layers, and these layers, interacting with each other, form synapses. It is precisely the synapses that determine how generalization will operate.

According to various sources, a single neuron is capable of forming from 10,000 to 60,000 connections. Both numbers are certainly impressive. Through these synaptic connections, neurons perform signal generalization.

From an evolutionary perspective, we as a neural organism have gone further. The peculiarity of our neural system is that we use as the primary unit not so much the neurons themselves as the synapses. Synaptic connections become the key reference point.

From this arises a problem that can be called the problem of neural network Darwinism 🧬. It lies in the fact that we begin to depend on the synaptic connections that are formed. Thus, our nervous system in some sense continues to evolve, but without full control on our part.

The process of neural network Darwinism leads to neurons constantly restructuring synaptic structures by changing their connections. As a result, functions may either strengthen or weaken.

From here arises an important problem of modern medicine 🧪. When we talk about cell therapy, for example the transplantation of stem cells as a method of recovery after neural injuries, a fundamental limitation appears. The issue is not only — and not even primarily — the restoration of the neurons themselves. The problem lies in restoring their synapses, that is, the plasticity of synaptic connections, a fully developed technology for which essentially does not yet exist.

On Paralysis 🧠 How It Works. Part 1

 As you can see, the image shows a tree 🌳Why a tree? Because technically, all types of paralysis that a person can experience—when we are talking about the motor system—are structured in exactly this way.

There is the corticospinal system, which begins at the top of the human brain — essentially, at the crown of the tree.

This corticospinal system gradually descends downward and transitions into the roots. Along the way, part of this system becomes the upper motor neuron, while in the roots it is predominantly represented by lower motor neurons and motor reflex arcs.

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Why does it look like this? 🤔

Because the human body is, in fact, a structure containing a vast number of highly diverse muscles. These muscles can be activated in countless combinations. The crown of the tree — the human brain — is capable of iterating through these combinations and achieving specific postures.

The trunk of the tree mainly represents motor neurons that transmit information along the spinal cord, partially including the corticospinal tract, which forms systems of complex reflexes. The roots, in turn, represent the lower motor neurons.

32 Years with Multiple Sclerosis: My Life, Work, and the Path to Acceptance

I m 38 years old, and in essence I have been living with multiple sclerosis for 32 years. Formally, the diagnosis has not been fully closed—there are still rare theoretical possibilities such as hypomyelination or leukodystrophy—but the likelihood of those is extremely low. The most honest and accurate description today is this: secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, a chronic autoimmune degenerative disease of the central nervous system.

Where I live and why

I currently live in Belgorod. I moved here before the war and chose the city purely for practical reasons. Belgorod is one of the most accessible cities in Russia for wheelchair users: sidewalks, curb cuts, and overall infrastructure make it possible to move around relatively freely.

There is also a climate factor. Compared to Syktyvkar, there is significantly less snow here. This means that for most of the year I can use a regular wheelchair without having to rely on heavy, all-terrain models. In winter, of course, movement is still difficult for a couple of months, but in spring and autumn there is almost no snow, and temperatures are usually above zero, sometimes even hot.

The building where I live is also fairly accessible—I can leave the house independently in my wheelchair, which has a major impact on my quality of life.