Thinking (Introduction)

by David Turell , Tuesday, April 02, 2013, 17:02 (4052 days ago)

We don't know how the brain does it, but different rates of firing may be part of the process:-"In the standard model of neuronal firing, neurons can use two kinds of neural codes: rate codes, in which information is encoded only in the average rate of firing; and temporal codes, in which information is encoded not only in the average rate but also in the precise timing of each pulse, with sensitivity down to the submillisecond range. Temporal firing means that firing patterns with the same average rate can encode different messages—a key insight into understanding neural coding. While the distinction between the two neural codes has previously been considered one of degree, a new study has found that neurons change between the two coding regimes abruptly rather than smoothly due to a phase transition separating the two regimes."- Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-04-phase-transition-brain-neurons-encode.html#jCp-A theoretical very complex article. Again, the individual neurons do not think, but the patterns of activity make up different messages.The nedurons react automatically, as planned.