IUBio

Neural Coding

Collins, Kenneth KPCollins at ameshome.com
Mon Oct 23 14:16:07 EST 2000


the question is a good one, but any answer to it is meaningless unless the
answer is embedded within a discussion of the global Neuroanatomy of the
nervous system.

one needs more than any number of 'neural' cells.

one must describe the integrated neural topology in 3 dimensions, all the
way down to ionic conductances.

only after this is accomplished does saying anything with respect to
contributions of discrete cells make any sense. it's so because the
functioning of any cell is determined by its 3-D interactions with
'neighboring' cells, where 'neighborhoods' are determined by a cells
ramifications within 3-Space and all the correlated ionic conductances.

all of this has to be worked out for the nervous system as a whole before
the role of any discrete cell can be discerned.

this seems 'a lot', but there's an extraordinarily-simple organizing
principle that makes doing it a straight-forward, if arduous (because
there's so much that needs to be integrated), task.

everything one needs is discussed in a ms. "On the Automation of Knowing
within Central Nervous Systems [...]" (AoK), and the refs cited in AoK. i'd
send you a copy of the ms., gratis, but i've no 'normal' email account.
perhaps if you ask around, someone else will be able to send you a copy.

you can email me at kpaulc at martinamcbride.net if you want to chat, or if you
can set up a presentation opportunity. if the latter, i'll come and discuss
everything.

k. p. collins (ken)


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