I suggest that you get a simple neuroscience textbook and read it. If
you do you will find that you will ask different questions and better
understand the answers.
Kal
On Sun, 02 Sep 2001 19:59:54 GMT, remove_this!helbrecht at gmx.net
("Wolfram") wrote:
>Richard Norman <rsnorman at mediaone.net> wrote:
>>> On Sat, 01 Sep 2001 22:47:08 GMT, remove_this!helbrecht at gmx.net>> ("Wolfram") wrote:
>> >Everywhere on the web i can read pages about _how_ neurons work,
>> >_how_ they interact with others, _how_ the whole brain works (some
>> >pages assert this).
>> >Has yet someone figured out _what_ a neuron does, i.e. what its
>> >task is?
>> A neuron is a specialized animal cell that uses changes in membrane
>> potential to control secretion of specialized intercellular signaling
>> chemicals -- neurotransmitters.
>(...)
>>Yes, that describes, again, the _how_ it works.
>>> It is really not appropriate to ask what its "task" is. That would be
>> like asking what the task of a particular "flip-flop" element in the
>> internal logic of CPU storage register is. Its task is to use its
>> biochemical and biochemical machinery to process information.
>>Well, represents a neuron that information, or where gets it (or
>another neuron) it from?
>>>One
>> real difference between neurons and electronic computational elements
>> is that neurons tend to change their properties as a result of the
>> information processing they do -- they show plasticity.
>>This is a new thing to me (but, as said, i am a layman in the
>field of neuroscience).
>>Does that mean, that a single neuron can behave like a whole
>neural network? Or did i misunderstand you and the whole idea is
>that a neuron changes its properties _only_ if there are
>neighbouring neurons interacting with it, i.e. a neural network?
>>> It is trivial to build simple computing elements AND, OR, NOT
>> circuits, out of neurons.
>>Did somebody do this? What happens? Do the neurons used for that
>still tend to change their properties? Or do they stay as they are
>and don't change anyway?
>>>The
>> general operating principles are all fairly well known. The devil is
>> in the details. And it is all details.
>>Yes. But because of that i just asked for the task of a single
>neuron. :-)
>>One more question.
>>A brain does several different tasks like coordinate walking,
>reading a book etc. The neurons participating in those tasks -
>would they all work the same manner?
