| How Brain-Like Is the Spinal Cord?: Interacting Cell Assemblies in the Nervous System Softcover Repri Edition Contributor(s): Windhorst, Uwe (Author) |
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ISBN: 3642511228 ISBN-13: 9783642511226 Publisher: Springer OUR PRICE: $52.24 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: May 2012 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Nature | Animals - Mammals - Medical | Neuroscience - Science | Life Sciences - Cell Biology |
| Dewey: 599.018 |
| Series: Studies of Brain Function |
| Physical Information: 0.74" H x 6.69" W x 9.61" (1.25 lbs) 334 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: "Theorizing about brain functions is often considered slightly disreputable and anyhow a waste of time -perhaps even 'philoso- ical'" 1 P. S. CHURCHLAND At present there are no unanimously accepted general con- cepts of brain operation and function. This is especially the case with regard to so-called "higher" functions such as per- ception, memory or the coupling between sensory input and motor output. There are a number of different reasons for this. Some may be related to experimental limitations allowing the simultaneous recording of the activities of only a restricted number of neurones. But there are also conceptual difficulties hindering the transition from "single-neurone" schemes, in which neurones are assigned relatively specific tasks (such as feature detection), to more complex schemes of nerve cell as- semblies (for a discussion of some of the difficulties see Abeles 1982; von der Malsburg 1981; Kriiger 1983). Whilst much is known about the basic properties and functions of single neu- rones, whose operations we hope to understand in the foresee- able future, this does not hold true in the same way for the working of large assemblies of neurones. |