Related papers: A devil's advocate view on 'self-organized' brain …
Biological neural networks self-organize according to local synaptic modifications to produce stable computations. How modifications at the synaptic level give rise to such computations at the network level remains an open question.…
Metaphors of Computation and Information tended to detract attention from the intrinsic modes of neural system functions, uncontaminated by the observer's role for collection and interpretation of experimental data. Recognizing the…
The "criticality hypothesis", based on observed scale-free correlations in neural activity, posits that the brain operates at a critical point of transition between two phases. However, the validity of this hypothesis is still debated.…
At the heart of many contemporary theories of life is the concept of biological self-organisation: organisms have to continuously produce and maintain the conditions of their own existence in order to stay alive. The way in which these…
The computational capabilities of a neural network are widely assumed to be determined by its static architecture. Here we challenge this view by establishing that a fixed neural structure can operate in fundamentally different…
"Self-organization" has become a watchword in developmental biology, characterizing observations in which embryonic or induced stem cells of animals replicate morphological steps and outcomes seen in intact embryos. While the term was…
The anatomically layered structure of a human brain results in leveled functions. In all these levels of different functions, comparison, feedback and imitation are the universal and crucial mechanisms. Languages, symbols and tools play key…
This paper responds to claims that causal closure of the underlying microphysics determines brain outcomes as a matter of principle, even if we cannot hope to ever carry out the needed calculations in practice. Following two papers of mine…
Neural circuits are able to perform computations under very diverse conditions and requirements. The required computations impose clear constraints on their fine-tuning: a rapid and maximally informative response to stimuli in general…
Learning and decision making in the brain are key processes critical to survival, and yet are processes implemented by non-ideal biological building blocks which can impose significant error. We explore quantitatively how the brain might…
The brain did not develop a dedicated device for reasoning. This fact bears dramatic consequences. While for perceptuo-motor functions neural activity is shaped by the input's statistical properties, and processing is carried out at high…
Hierarchy is one of the most conspicuous features of numerous natural, technological and social systems. The underlying structures are typically complex and their most relevant organizational principle is the ordering of the ties among the…
Adaptive behavior, cognition and emotion are the result of a bewildering variety of brain spatiotemporal activity patterns. An important problem in neuroscience is to understand the mechanism by which the human brain's 100 billion neurons…
This paper describes a relatively simple way of allowing a brain model to self-organise its concept patterns through nested structures. For a simulation, time reduction is helpful and it would be able to show how patterns may form and then…
The human brain prioritises relevant sensory information to perform different tasks. Enhancement of task-relevant information requires flexible allocation of attentional resources, but it is still a mystery how this is operationalised in…
Highly correlated brain dynamics produces synchronized states with no behavioral value, while weakly correlated dynamics prevents information flow. We discuss the idea put forward by Per Bak that the working brain stays at an intermediate…
Flexible reconfiguration of human brain networks supports cognitive flexibility and learning. However, modulating flexibility to enhance learning requires an understanding of the relationship between flexibility and brain state. In an…
The underlying physiological mechanisms of generating conscious states are still unknown. To make progress on the problem of consciousness, we will need to experimentally design a system that evolves in a similar way our brains do. Recent…
Our current understanding of brain rhythms is based on quantifying their instantaneous or time-averaged characteristics. What remains unexplored, is the actual structure of the waves -- their shapes and patterns over finite timescales. To…
Self-organized criticality (SOC) reveals a mechanism by which a system is autonomously evolved to be in a critical state without needing parameter tuning. Whereas various biological systems are found to be in critical states and the…