scholarly journals Working Models and the Synthetic Method

2006 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-34
Author(s):  
Peter Asaro
Keyword(s):  
Animal Behavior ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Synthetic Method ◽  
Combined Approach ◽  
Working Models ◽  
Brain Sciences ◽  
Brain Models ◽  
Material Power ◽  
The Brain

This article examines the construction of electronic brain models in the 1940s as an instance of “working models” in science. It argues that the best way to understand the scientific role of these synthetic brains is through combining aspects of the “models as mediators” approach (Morgan and Morrison, 1999) and the “synthetic method” (Cordeschi, 2002). Taken together these approaches allow a fuller understanding of how working models functioned within the brain sciences of the time. This combined approach to understanding models is applied to an investigation of two electronic brains built in the late 1940s, the Homeostat of W. Ross Ashby, and the Tortoise of W. Grey Walter. It also examines the writings of Ashby, a psychiatrist and leading proponent of the synthetic brain models, and Walter, a brain electro-physiologist, and their ideas on the pragmatic values of such models. I conclude that rather than mere toys or publicity stunts, these electronic brains are best understood by considering the roles they played as mediators between disparate theories of brain function and animal behavior, and their combined metaphorical and material power.

ChemInform Abstract: Role of Heart-Type Fatty Acid Binding Protein in the Brain Function

ChemInform ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 40 (26) ◽  
Author(s):  
Keiju Motohashi ◽  
Yui Yamamoto ◽  
Norifumi Shioda ◽  
Hisatake Kondo ◽  
Yuji Owada ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Fatty Acid Binding Protein ◽  
Binding Protein ◽  
Fatty Acid Binding ◽  
Acid Binding Protein ◽  
The Brain

Role of adrenal catecholamines in cerebrovasodilation evoked from brain stem

1987 ◽  
Vol 252 (6) ◽  
pp. H1183-H1191
Author(s):  
C. Iadecola ◽  
P. M. Lacombe ◽  
M. D. Underwood ◽  
T. Ishitsuka ◽  
D. J. Reis
Keyword(s):  
Brain Function ◽  
Blood Gases ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Elevated Plasma ◽  
Regional Cerebral Blood ◽  
Medullary Reticular Formation ◽  
Alpha Chloralose ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Stimulation Of

We studied whether adrenal medullary catecholamines (CAs) contribute to the metabolically linked increase in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) elicited by electrical stimulation of the dorsal medullary reticular formation (DMRF). Rats were anesthetized (alpha-chloralose, 30 mg/kg), paralyzed, and artificially ventilated. The DMRF was electrically stimulated with intermittent trains of pulses through microelectrodes stereotaxically implanted. Blood gases were controlled and, during stimulation, arterial pressure was maintained within the autoregulated range for rCBF. rCBF and blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability were determined in homogenates of brain regions by using [14C]iodoantipyrine and alpha-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB), respectively, as tracers. Plasma CAs (epinephrine and norepinephrine) were measured radioenzymatically. DMRF stimulation increased rCBF throughout the brain (n = 5; P less than 0.01, analysis of variance) and elevated plasma CAs substantially (n = 4). Acute bilateral adrenalectomy abolished the increase in plasma epinephrine (n = 4), reduced the increases in flow (n = 6) in cerebral cortex (P less than 0.05), and abolished them elsewhere in brain (P greater than 0.05). Comparable effects on rCBF were obtained by selective adrenal demedullation (n = 7) or pretreatment with propranolol (1.5 mg/kg iv) (n = 5). DMRF stimulation did not increase the permeability of the BBB to AIB (n = 5). We conclude that the increases in rCBF elicited from the DMRF has two components, one dependent on, and the other independent of CAs. Since the BBB is impermeable to CAs and DMRF stimulation fails to open the BBB, the results suggest that DMRF stimulation allows, through a mechanism not yet determined, circulating CAs to act on brain and affect brain function.

SUPER-SYNERGY IN THE BRAIN: THE GRANDMOTHER PERCEPT IS MANIFESTED BY MULTIPLE OSCILLATIONS

2004 ◽  
Vol 14 (02) ◽  
pp. 453-491 ◽  
Author(s):  
EROL BAŞAR ◽  
MURAT ÖZGÖREN ◽  
SIREL KARAKAŞ ◽  
CANAN BAŞAR-EROĞLU
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Work ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Present Report ◽  
Whole Brain ◽  
Animal Brain ◽  
Oscillatory Dynamics ◽  
New Research ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Face Support

The present report describes the dynamic foundations of long-standing experimental work in the field of oscillatory dynamics in the human and animal brain. It aims to show the role of multiple oscillations in the integrative brain function, memory, and complex perception by a recently introduced conceptional framework: the super-synergy in the whole brain. Results of recent experiments related to the percept of the grandmother-face support our concept of super-synergy in the whole brain in order to explain manifestation of Gestalts and Memory-Stages. This report may also provide new research avenues in macrodynamics of the brain.

scholarly journals Evidence of the Role of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Brain Glucose Metabolism

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1382
Author(s):  
Fabien Pifferi ◽  
Stephen C. Cunnane ◽  
Philippe Guesnet
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Glucose Metabolism ◽  
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Brain Glucose ◽  
Brain Glucose Metabolism ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Brain

In mammals, brain function, particularly neuronal activity, has high energy needs. When glucose is supplemented by alternative oxidative substrates under different physiological conditions, these fuels do not fully replace the functions fulfilled by glucose. Thus, it is of major importance that the brain is almost continuously supplied with glucose from the circulation. Numerous studies describe the decrease in brain glucose metabolism during healthy or pathological ageing, but little is known about the mechanisms that cause such impairment. Although it appears difficult to determine the exact role of brain glucose hypometabolism during healthy ageing or during age-related neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, uninterrupted glucose supply to the brain is still of major importance for proper brain function. Interestingly, a body of evidence suggests that dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) might play significant roles in brain glucose regulation. Thus, the goal of the present review is to summarize this evidence and address the role of n-3 PUFAs in brain energy metabolism. Taken together, these data suggest that ensuring an adequate dietary supply of n-3 PUFAs could constitute an essential aspect of a promising strategy to promote optimal brain function during both healthy and pathological ageing.

scholarly journals Canadian Association of Neurosciences Review: Postnatal Development of the Mammalian Neocortex: Role of Activity Revisited

2006 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 158-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhong-wei Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Spontaneous Activity ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Postnatal Life ◽  
Synaptic Connections ◽  
Synaptic Remodeling ◽  
Canadian Association ◽  
Selective Elimination ◽  
Neuronal Connections ◽  
The Brain

ABSTRACT:The mammalian neocortex is the largest structure in the brain, and plays a key role in brain function. A critical period for the development of the neocortex is the early postnatal life, when the majority of synapses are formed and when much of synaptic remodeling takes place. Early studies suggest that initial synaptic connections lack precision, and this rudimentary wiring pattern is refined by experience-related activity through selective elimination and consolidation. This view has been challenged by recent studies revealing the presence of a relatively precise pattern of connections before the onset of sensory experience. The recent data support a model in which specificity of neuronal connections is largely determined by genetic factors. Spontaneous activity is required for the formation of neural circuits, but whether it plays an instructive role is still controversial. Neurotransmitters including acetylcholine, serotonin, and γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) may have key roles in the regulation of spontaneous activity, and in the maturation of synapses in the developing brain.

scholarly journals The Role of Sleep and Impact on Brain and Learning

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 59
Author(s):  
Sevasti Kapsi ◽  
Spyridoula Katsantoni ◽  
Athanasios Drigas
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Natural Process ◽  
Research Results ◽  
Mechanism Research ◽  
Fundamental Process ◽  
Natural Mechanism ◽  
The Brain

<p>There are many interventions which may enhance learning. Many techniques are used in education to empower memory, which is a basic cognitive ability to ensure learning. A question arises:  if learning is a natural process, is there a natural mechanism which supports learning? In this review, it is supported that sleep is such a mechanism. Research results on sleep and learning are presented and support different effects on the brain and learning, according to the age of the population. Sleep is a fundamental process for brain function and cognition. More studies should follow to make good use of this information, so as to design new interventions for the field of education.</p>

scholarly journals Contribution of Franz Joseph Gall in the establishment of criminal anthropology. Part I. Teaching on Localization of Brain Function

2020 ◽  
pp. 151-159
Author(s):  
Dmitry Vadimovich Bakharev
Keyword(s):  
Brain Function ◽  
Soviet Science ◽  
Natural Scientist ◽  
Human Skull ◽  
Intellectual Abilities ◽  
Franz Joseph Gall ◽  
Moral Qualities ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Different Parts

This article represents a brief overview of the teaching of Austrian medical scholar and natural scientist Franz Joseph Gall (1758-1828) on human anthropology and psychology. Soviet science viewed Gall as a creator of pseudoscience of phrenology, although in prerevolutionary period, he received mostly complimentary assessment. For example, the prominent Russian criminalist D. A. Dril called Gall a &ldquo;father of criminal anthropology&rdquo;. In order to determine the objectivity of such assessments, the author attempted to distill the essence of Gall&rsquo;s doctrine and assess his conclusions regarding the formation of such branch of criminology as criminal anthropology. The research methodology is based on the analysis of monograph works of F. J. Gall and subsequent summarization of the key theses of psychophysiological doctrine of Austrian scholar. In his works, Gall substantiated the ides that the moral qualities and intellectual abilities are innate, and their manifestation depends on the organization of the brain, which is the organ of all propensities and aptitudes. In his opinion, different parts of brain are responsible for completely different functions. The author concludes that the widespread in Soviet science interpretation of the role of Gall in the area of phrenology is inadequate to reality. Firstly, Gall never attributed any special merits to himself pertaining to studying connection between the form of human skull and peculiarities of his psyche and intellect; and secondly, not disputing the existence of such connection, he however, did not establish any strong patterns.

Enactivist Interventions

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaun Gallagher
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Mathematical Reasoning ◽  
Relational Dynamics ◽  
Close Coupling ◽  
Affective Processes ◽  
The Mind ◽  
The Brain

Enactivist Interventions explores central issues in the contemporary debates about embodied cognition, addressing interdisciplinary questions about intentionality, representation, affordances, the role of affect, and the problems of perception and cognitive penetration, action and free will, higher-order cognition, and intersubjectivity. It argues for a rethinking of the concept of mind, drawing on pragmatism, phenomenology, and cognitive science. It interprets enactivism as a philosophy of nature that has significant methodological and theoretical implications for the scientific investigation of the mind. Enactivist Interventions argues that, like the basic phenomena of perception and action, sophisticated cognitive phenomena like reflection, imagining, and mathematical reasoning are best explained in terms of an affordance-based skilled coping. It thus argues for a continuity that runs between basic action, affectivity, and a rationality that in every case remains embodied. It also discusses recent predictive models of brain function and outlines an alternative, enactivist interpretation that emphasizes the close coupling of brain, body, and environment rather than a strong boundary that isolates the brain in its internal processes. The extensive relational dynamics that integrates the brain with the extra-neural body opens into an environment that is physical, social, and cultural and that recycles back into the enactive process. Cognitive processes are in the world, situated in affordance spaces defined across evolutionary, developmental, and individual histories, and are constrained by affective processes and normative dimensions of social and cultural practices.

Possible role of histamine in brain function: neurochemical, physiological, and pharmacological indications

1984 ◽  
Vol 62 (6) ◽  
pp. 709-714 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. M. Mazurkiewicz-Kwilecki
Keyword(s):  
Psychotropic Drugs ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Hormonal Regulation ◽  
Inhibitory Effects ◽  
Brain Histamine ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Cyclic Variations ◽  
The Brain

Recently accumulated neurochemical, physiological, and pharmacological evidence strongly supports a role for histamine as a central neurotransmitter. Neurochemical methods, which became available within the last years, allow determination of small amounts of histamine and its metabolites in the brain and make possible future studies of central histamine regulation. The demonstration of histamine H1 and H2 receptors in the brain of several species suggests a possible role for histamine in brain function. Microelectrophysiological studies on single central neurones suggest both excitatory and depressant effects of histamine which are receptor mediated. In addition, brain histamine has been demonstrated to be subject to cyclic variations, to play a role in hormonal regulation, and to be altered by stressful conditions. Several psychotropic drugs significantly affect brain histamine regulation and elicit inhibitory effects on central histamine receptors. These findings bring new approaches and stimulus to further research on the significance of brain histamine.

scholarly journals The Role of TRPV1 Receptors in the Brain Function

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 42-49
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Saffarzadeh ◽  
Mahmoud Reza Hadjighassem ◽  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Brain Function ◽  
Trpv1 Receptors ◽  
The Brain
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