Neural Darwinism: The Theory Of Neuronal Group SelectionAlready the subject of considerable pre-publication discussion, this magisterial work by one of the nation's leading neuroscientists presents a radically new view of the function of the brain and nervous system. Its central idea is that the nervous system in each individual operates as a selective system resembling natural selection in evolution, but operating by different mechanisms. By providing a fundamental neural basis for categorization of the things of this world it unifies perception, action, and learning. The theory also completely revises our view of memory, which it considers to be a dynamic process of recategorization rather than a replicative store of attributes. This has deep implications for the interpretation of various psychological states from attention to dreaming. Neural Darwinism ranges over many disciplines, focusing on key problems in developmental and evolutionary biology, anatomy, physiology, ethology, and psychology. This book should therefore prove indispensable to advanced undergraduate and graduate students in these fields, to students of medicine, and to those in the social sciences concerned with the relation of behavior to biology. Beyond that, this far-ranging theory of brain function is bound to stimulate renewed discussions of such philosophical issues as the mind-body problem, the origins of knowledge, and the perceptual basis of language. |
Contents
A Summary and Historical Introduction | 3 |
Structure Function and Perception | 23 |
The Primary Repertoire | 73 |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
activity adaptive afferents alterations anatomical animal arbors areas axonal basis behavior Biol biology brain function cell adhesion molecules cell surface cerebellum cerebral cortex changes chapter classification couples complex connections consider constraints correlation cortex cortical Darwin degeneracy degenerate developmental dynamic epigenetic evolution evolutionary example figure formation G. M. Edelman genes global mappings group selection theory heterochrony heterosynaptic individual induction information processing input interactions L-CAM large number lead learning long-term mechanisms memory modification molecular morphogenesis movements N-CAM natural selection neotenic nervous system neural development neural structures neuroanatomy neuronal group selection Neurosci notion nuclei objects occur organization overlap particular perceptual categorization phenotypic postsynaptic rule presynaptic primary repertoire Proc properties receptive fields recognition reentrant reentry regions regulator hypothesis representation response result secondary repertoire selectionist sensory sensory systems signals somatic selection specific stimuli surface modulation synaptic theory of neuronal tion variability variation