scholarly journals From Action to Cognition: Neural Reuse, Network Theory and the Emergence of Higher Cognitive Functions

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 1652
Author(s):  
Radek Ptak ◽  
Naz Doganci ◽  
Alexia Bourgeois
Keyword(s):  
Motor Planning ◽  
Mental Processes ◽  
Developmental Approach ◽  
Neural Reuse ◽  
Plausible Mechanism ◽  
Flexible Neural Networks ◽  
Higher Cognitive Functions ◽  
Embodied Representation ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Representation Of Knowledge

The aim of this article is to discuss the logic and assumptions behind the concept of neural reuse, to explore its biological advantages and to discuss the implications for the cognition of a brain that reuses existing circuits and resources. We first address the requirements that must be fulfilled for neural reuse to be a biologically plausible mechanism. Neural reuse theories generally take a developmental approach and model the brain as a dynamic system composed of highly flexible neural networks. They often argue against domain-specificity and for a distributed, embodied representation of knowledge, which sets them apart from modular theories of mental processes. We provide an example of reuse by proposing how a phylogenetically more modern mental capacity (mental rotation) may appear through the reuse and recombination of existing resources from an older capacity (motor planning). We conclude by putting arguments into context regarding functional modularity, embodied representation, and the current ontology of mental processes.

scholarly journals Neuropsychological aspects of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures

2007 ◽  
Vol 13 (4 suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 24-27
Author(s):  
Mirna Wetters Portuguez ◽  
Danielle Irigoyen da Costa ◽  
Sabine Possa Marroni ◽  
Vanessa Pagliarini ◽  
Karin Vieira
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Physical Abuse ◽  
Multidisciplinary Team ◽  
Emotional Abuse ◽  
Epileptic Seizures ◽  
Mental Processes ◽  
Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures ◽  
Therapeutic Procedures ◽  
Nonepileptic Seizures ◽  
The Brain

Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) may be defined as paroxysmal changes in behavior that are similar to epileptic seizures but are not associated with quantifiable alterations in the electrical activity of the brain. At the Epilepsy Surgery Program (ESP) of the São Lucas Hospital at PUCRS (HSL-PUCRS), we studied 52 individuals (37 females and 15 males) with a diagnosis of PNES, associated (57%) or not (23%) with refractory epileptic seizures. We found emotional abuse (100%), physical abuse (80%), emotional neglect (80%), physical negligence (70%) and sexual abuse (30%), mood (40%) and anxiety disorders (50%), as the main psychological components in such population. Although the medical and psychosocial impact of PNES can be estimated as significant, the absence of specialized services for its treatment is striking. Multiple diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and the participation of a specialized multidisciplinary team – where neuropsychology functions as a link between the mental processes/psychopathologies and the brain – are required to ensure proper management of such cases.

Psycho-Cognitive Model of Knowledge Creation Theory

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunday Bolade
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Personal Experience ◽  
Cognitive Process ◽  
Cognitive Model ◽  
Sensory Organs ◽  
Mental Processes ◽  
Cognitive Perspective ◽  
Skill Sets ◽  
New Concepts ◽  
The Brain

Humans perform activities collaboratively or individually, and these activities, more often than not, involve both physical and mental processes. However, irrespective of whether individual or collective functioning, knowledge creation is a personal experience. Nevertheless, the general tenet of this paper is that knowledge is created in a human’s mind and resides in the head. Hence, it posits that knowledge creation is cognitive (associated with the neurological structures of the brain) and psychological (involving consciousness)—a psycho-cognitive process. This study thus employs a “Cognaction” mechanism that is based on the assumptions captured below. The mechanism premised that the human cognitive chamber consists of 3C modes of comprehension (for interpreting stimuli transmitted to the brain by sensory organs), contextualisation (for mindful connecting of chunks to existing schemas), and conceptualisation (for evaluative reflection in a manner that leads to drawing inference and building themes or new concepts). It demonstrates that as diverse skill sets are applied to a task, they generate varieties of effects and outcomes. The outcomes though are distinctive and at the same time are cospecialised. Thus, the psycho-cognitive perspective demonstrates knowledge creation as a cocreation process and sees knowledge as a mix of cocreated, cognitive structures. In view of these, the study provides the missing explanation on how the knowledge archetypes emerged. And it provides the missing link between the belief that “knowledge is created in the head” and knowledge creation theory.

Chapter 9. Spike-Based Symbolic Computations on Bit Strings and Numbers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ceca Kraišniković ◽  
Wolfgang Maass ◽  
Robert Legenstein
Keyword(s):  
Neural Networks ◽  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Learning Rule ◽  
Spiking Neural Networks ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Symbolic Computations ◽  
Neuromorphic Hardware ◽  
State Of Research ◽  
Higher Cognitive Functions ◽  
The Brain

The brain uses recurrent spiking neural networks for higher cognitive functions such as symbolic computations, in particular, mathematical computations. We review the current state of research on spike-based symbolic computations of this type. In addition, we present new results which show that surprisingly small spiking neural networks can perform symbolic computations on bit sequences and numbers and even learn such computations using a biologically plausible learning rule. The resulting networks operate in a rather low firing rate regime, where they could not simply emulate artificial neural networks by encoding continuous values through firing rates. Thus, we propose here a new paradigm for symbolic computation in neural networks that provides concrete hypotheses about the organization of symbolic computations in the brain. The employed spike-based network models are the basis for drastically more energy-efficient computer hardware – neuromorphic hardware. Hence, our results can be seen as creating a bridge from symbolic artificial intelligence to energy-efficient implementation in spike-based neuromorphic hardware.

scholarly journals Network Science: A New Method for Investigating the Complexity of Musical Experiences in The Brain

Leonardo ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 282-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin W. Wilkins ◽  
Donald A. Hodges ◽  
Paul J. Laurienti ◽  
Matthew R. Steen ◽  
Jonathan H. Burdette
Keyword(s):  
Network Science ◽  
Brain Connectivity ◽  
Motor Planning ◽  
New Method ◽  
Science Methods ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Structural Components ◽  
Dynamic Impact ◽  
Mood Fluctuation ◽  
The Brain

Network science is a rapidly emerging analysis method for investigating complex systems, such as the brain, in terms of their components and the interactions among them. Within the brain, music affects an intricate set of complex neural processing systems. These include structural components as well as functional elements such as memory, motor planning and execution, cognition and mood fluctuation. Because music affects such diverse brain systems, it is an ideal candidate for applying network science methods. Using as naturalistic an approach as possible, the authors investigated whether listening to different genres of music affected brain connectivity. Here the authors show that varying levels of musical complexity affect brain connectivity. These results suggest that network science offers a promising new method to study the dynamic impact of music on the brain.

The neural reuse hypothesis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicente Raja ◽  
Marcie Penner ◽  
Lucina Q. Uddin ◽  
Michael L. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Neuroscience ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Disorders ◽  
Skill Learning ◽  
Brain Dynamics ◽  
Developmental Study ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Neural Reuse ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Do So ◽  
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience

In this chapter, the authors propose neural reuse as a promising unifying framework for the advance of developmental cognitive neuroscience. In order to do so, first, the authors describe the hypothesis of neural reuse and some of the evidence for its importance to and impact on the development of the brain. Then, the authors compare neural reuse with the three prominent frameworks in contemporary developmental cognitive neuroscience—maturational viewpoint, interactive specialization, and skill learning—and show how neural reuse can accommodate their virtues while avoiding their shortcomings. After that, the authors explore some of the implications of neural reuse for the developmental study of math cognition, brain dynamics, and neurodevelopmental disorders. Finally, the authors sketch some future directions of research and some specific research suggestions.

Dennett, Functionalism, and Introspection

1985 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 55-83
Author(s):  
William Lyons
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Higher Cognitive Functions ◽  
The Brain

Recent functionalist accounts of the mental, at least on the part of philosophers, have often been a result of dissatisfaction with the reductionist accounts championed by such physicalists as Place, Smart and Feigl. In particular this new account gained momentum from the growing belief that our map of the mental, at least in regard to the higher cognitive functions, does not seem to be a map of the brain and its processes. The more we find out about the working brain, the less we are able to cling to the belief that our talk about beliefs, evaluations, intentions, desires and motives gives us information about the structure or functioning of our brains.

Reply to reviewers: Reuse, embodied interactivity, and the emerging paradigm shift in the human neurosciences

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael L. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Psychology ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cognitive Sciences ◽  
Multiple Spatial Scales ◽  
Neural Reuse ◽  
The Brain

AbstractIn this reply to reviewers, I argue that, although reforming the taxonomy of psychology will lead to great insights in the cognitive sciences, it will not result in 1:1 structure-function mappings in the brain; we should expect to see a great deal of irreducible functional diversity in the brain at multiple spatial scales. I further clarify both the promise and the limitations of the analytic techniques for capturing functional diversity and interrogating the taxonomy of psychology; describe the ways in which neural reuse can help us understand human development; further explore the ways in which my proposals for integrating psychology, neuroscience, and evolutionary biology differ from the approach exemplified by contemporary evolutionary psychology; and lay out some new and hopefully interesting avenues for future research.

scholarly journals Fractals in Action: An fMRI study on the Generation of new Hierarchical Levels in Motor Sequences

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauricio J.D. Martins ◽  
Roberta Bianco ◽  
Daniela Sammler ◽  
Arno Villringer
Keyword(s):  
Motor Planning ◽  
Hierarchical Structures ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
Generative Process ◽  
Fmri Study ◽  
General Systems ◽  
Hierarchical Levels ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Putative Domain ◽  
Active Generation

AbstractGeneration of hierarchical structures, such as the embedding of subordinate elements into larger structures, is a core feature of human cognition. Discrimination of well-formed hierarchies is thought to rely on lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC). However, the brain bases underlying the active generation of new hierarchical levels remain poorly understood. Here, we created a new motor paradigm to isolate this active generative process. In fMRI, participants planned and performed (identical) movement sequences based on three previously learned rules: (1) a hierarchical ‘fractal’ rule that involved generation of new levels, (2) a linear ‘iterative’ rule adding items to existing hierarchical levels, and (3) simple ‘repetition’. We found that generation of new hierarchical levels (using the fractal rule) activated a bilateral motor planning-and imagery network, but did not involve lateral PFC. Conversely, adding items to existing hierarchical levels required M1 directly during execution. These results show that the generation of new hierarchical levels can be achieved without involvement of putative domain-general systems such as those ascribed to lateral PFC. We hypothesize that these systems might be important to parse hierarchical sequences in a multi-domain fashion but not necessarily to generate new hierarchical levels.

scholarly journals IDEAS HAVE THEIR OWN LIFE

2019 ◽  
Vol LI (1) ◽  
pp. 61-65
Author(s):  
Mikhail M Reshetnikov
Keyword(s):  
The Body ◽  
Human Sciences ◽  
Mental Processes ◽  
Biological Interface ◽  
Material Theory ◽  
Human Psyche ◽  
The Brain

The problem of the psyche and consciousness has been the most mysterious one for a few thousand years and is still unresolved. It has been almost forgotten that Aristotle considered human psyche a structure that is not bound to the body. This idea did not persist, though. It was Hippocrates who ruined it and declared a different concept, which prevailed for many centuries, that the brain is a repository of all mental processes. The author formulates the idea of the brain as the biological interface and proves a non-material theory of the psyche, which is a discovery that requires a change in basic paradigms of human sciences.

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