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Circuits in the Brain: A Model of Shape Processing in the Primary Visual Cortex - Softcover

 
9780387891453: Circuits in the Brain: A Model of Shape Processing in the Primary Visual Cortex
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Contributions to the theory of multineuronal circuits have, up until now, not had much effect on the thinking of neuroscientists, with the possible exception of Hebb’s (1949) book, which introduced the Hebbian synapse modification rule and the idea of "cell assemblies." Simulation work on large networks (see for instance von der Malsburg, 1973; Palm, 1982) has been more successful; but simulation has never been a substitute for the classical theoretical method, where consequences are transparently obtained from assumptions. As a result of these considerations an attempt is made here to develop a new way to obtain theoretical results in brain research.

Schematically speaking, the approach amounts to a top-down parsing of brain function, where known features of the system are broken down to tasks addressed by subsystems, and those to tasks addressed by smaller subsystems, eventually reaching the level of the neurons. The gradual breakdown of tasks to the level of the neurons leads to a neuron model less simple than the one we are used to from the classical theoretical papers. The neuron is still a threshold device, as it has to be; but it is capable of various modes of operation. In the different modes the volleys arriving to the neuron from various neuron pools interact differently and have different effects. In addition the neuron, or possibly its surrounding system of satellite cells, is responsive to certain statistically significant ("surprising") features of the multi-channel input stream, and interprets these as instructions to change the operating mode.

The present monograph is intended to be conceptually self-contained, in the sense that all theoretical concepts on which it builds are described in the text. Some of these concepts have been around for a long time; in particular the cell assembly (Hebb, 1949; Legéndy, 1967), ignition (Rapoport, 1952; Legéndy, 1967), and surprise (Legéndy, 1970a; Legéndy, 1975; Palm, 1981). In addition to these and some others introduced below, the discussion builds on sequences of drawings; it contains no mathematics.

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From the Back Cover:

Dr. Charles Legéndy's Circuits in the Brain: A Model of Shape Processing in the Primary Visual Cortex is published at a time marked by unprecedented advances in experimental brain research which are, however, not matched by similar advances in theoretical insight. For this reason, the timing is ideal for the appearance of Dr. Legéndy's book, which undertakes to derive certain global features of the brain directly from the neurons.

Circuits in the Brain, with its "relational firing" model of shape processing, includes a step-by-step development of a set of multi-neuronal networks for transmitting visual relations, using a strategy believed to be equally applicable to many aspects of brain function other than vision. The book contains a number of testable predictions at the neuronal level, some believed to be accessible to the techniques which have recently become available.

With its novel approach and concrete references to anatomy and physiology, the monograph promises to open up entirely new avenues of brain research, and will be particularly useful to graduate students, academics, and researchers studying neuroscience and neurobiology. In addition, since Dr. Legéndy's book succeeds in achieving a clean logical presentation without mathematics, and uses a bare minimum of technical terminology, it may also be enjoyed by non-scientists intrigued by the intellectual challenge of the elegant devices applied inside our brain. The book is uniquely self-contained; with more than 120 annotated illustrations it goes into full detail in describing all functional and theoretical concepts on which it builds.

 

About the Author:
Dr. Charles Legéndy holds a bachelors' degree in electrical engineering from Princeton and a PhD in physics from Cornell. He wrote his first papers in solid-state physics (helicons), then turned his attention to the theory of data processing in the brain, the subject of the present book. Over the years, in addition, he was involved in a number of projects in experimental brain research (electrophysiology), aerospace engineering, and computers. Dr. Legéndy lives with his wife in New York City.

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  • PublisherSpringer
  • ISBN 10 0387891455
  • ISBN 13 9780387891453
  • BindingPerfect Paperback
  • Edition number1

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ISBN 10:  ISBN 13:  9780387888484
Publisher: Springer, 2009
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