Louder neurons form more connections
April 21 issue of Nature: In CNS development, neurons grow and later prune dendrite arbors. The squeaky neuron gets the grease. Louder neurons drown out their quieter neighbors. Louder Neurons get to keep their connections.
Source: http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/node/7775
This is another item supporting the idea presented by Oliver Selfridge (1959. Pandemonium: A paradigm for learning. In Symposium on the mechanization of thought processes. ) http://www.ship.edu/~cgboeree/pandemonium.html
Selfridge was not talking particularly about neurons. He was really talking about a computer-like process which could apply to neurons or aggregates of neurons. In modern form, the idea might apply to the interactions of brain modules as discussed in the Thinkerer.
http://thinkerer.org/Background/BakBrainMods.htm
In this case, the effects would not necessarily involve changes in neuron arbors. They might just involve changes in transmitter balance. The general idea, however, is that the loudest (most active) module gets your attention (or is the focus of your awareness). You can influence the modules by choosing inputs. When you look at a Cuepon, for example, the Cuepon will increase the activity of some modules. Enough increase and that module shouts loud enough to become the focus of your attention.
Conversely, if you quiet the competition, a quiet module might get heard. This may be one of the functions of mediation or other practices that seek to manipulate attention away from the modules that usually dominate attention.
Source: http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/node/7775
This is another item supporting the idea presented by Oliver Selfridge (1959. Pandemonium: A paradigm for learning. In Symposium on the mechanization of thought processes. ) http://www.ship.edu/~cgboeree/pandemonium.html
Selfridge was not talking particularly about neurons. He was really talking about a computer-like process which could apply to neurons or aggregates of neurons. In modern form, the idea might apply to the interactions of brain modules as discussed in the Thinkerer.
http://thinkerer.org/Background/BakBrainMods.htm
In this case, the effects would not necessarily involve changes in neuron arbors. They might just involve changes in transmitter balance. The general idea, however, is that the loudest (most active) module gets your attention (or is the focus of your awareness). You can influence the modules by choosing inputs. When you look at a Cuepon, for example, the Cuepon will increase the activity of some modules. Enough increase and that module shouts loud enough to become the focus of your attention.
Conversely, if you quiet the competition, a quiet module might get heard. This may be one of the functions of mediation or other practices that seek to manipulate attention away from the modules that usually dominate attention.
posted by Selby Evans at 11:38 AM
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