Abstract
The referential aspect of a concept can be defined by a disjunction of conjunations of attributes. A single neuron can represent a disjunction of conjunctions of attributes if the assumption that neurons are single-threshold devices is discarded. Instead, one must assume that such concept neurons are composed of hundreds or thousands of (high-threshold) receptive areas, each containing tens or hundreds of synaptic sites. When essentially all of the sites of a receptive area are activated in close temporal contiguity, the receptive area generates a local (spike) response which is assumed to be sufficient to fire the cell body and axon of the neuron. If we assume that all concepts possessed by a single human being can be encoded by single neurons in this manner, there are enough neurons in the human cortex only if we assume that most of these concept neurons are specified by learning. Genetic specification is ruled out by the enormous (infinite?) nember of possible concepts humans appear to be able to learn. Therefore, a speculative neural mechanism is presented regarding how “free” neurons could become specified by learning.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Albert, D. J. 1966a. “The Effects of Polarizing Currents on the Consolidation of Learning,”Neuropsychologia,4, 65–77.
— 1966b. “Memory in Mammals: Evidence for a System Involving Nuclear Ribonucleic Acid.” —Ibid. 4, 79–92.
Andersen, P. O. 1966. “Correlation of Structural Design with Function in the Archicortex” InBrain and Conscious Experience, pp. 59–79. J. C. Eccles, Ed. New York: Springer-Verlag.
Baddeley, A. D. and H. C. A. Dale. 1966. “The Effect of Semantic Similarity on Retroactive Interference in Long-and Short-Term Memory.”J. Verb. Learn. Verb. Behav.,5, 417–420.
Brody, H. 1955. “Organization of the Cerebral Cortex. III. A Study of Aging in the Human Cerebral Cortex.”J. Comp. Neurol.,102, 511–556.
Conrad, R. 1962. “An Association Between Memory Errors and Errors Due to Acoustic Masking of Speech.”Nature,193, 1314–1315.
— 1964. “Acoustic Confusions in Immediate Memory.”Brit. J. Psychol. 55, 75–84.
Cragg, B. G. 1967. “The Density of Synapses and Neurones in the Motor and Visual Areas of the Cerebral Cortex.”J. Anat.,101, 639–654.
Deutsch, J. A., M. D. Hamburg and H. Dahl 1966. “Anticholinesterase-Induced Amnesia and Its Temporal Aspects.”Science,151, 221–223.
Diamond, J. 1968. “The Activation and Distribution of GABA and L-Glutamate Receptors on Goldfish Mauthner Neurons: An Analysis of Dendritic Remote Inhibition.”J. Physiol.,194, 669–723.
Eccles, J. C. 1966. “Cerebral Synaptic Mechanisms.” InBrain and Conscious Experience. J. C. Eccles, Ed. New York: Springer-Verlag.
Hamburg, M. D. 1967. “Retrograde Amnesia Produced by Intraperitoneal Injection of Physostigmine.”Science,156, 973–974.
Hebb, D. O. 1949.The Organization of Behavior. New York: Wiley.
Hubel, D. H. and Wiesel, T. N. 1959. “Receptive Fields of Single Neurons in the Cat's Striate Cortex.”J. Physiol. 148, 574–591.
—— 1961. “Integrative Action in the Cat's Lateral Geniculate Body.” —Ibid. 155, 385–398.
Hubel, D. H. and Wiesel, T. N. 1962. “Receptive Fields, Binocular Interaction and Functional Architecture in the Cat's Visual Cortex.” —Ibid. 160, 106–154.
——. 1963. “Receptive Fields of, Cells in Striate Cortex of Very Young, Visually Inexperienced Kittens.”J. Neurophysiol.,26, 994–1002.
——, 1965. “Receptive Fields and Functional Architecture in Two Nonstriate Visual Areas (18 and 19) of the Cat.” —Ibid. 28, 229–289.
Kappers, C. U. A., G. C. Huber and E. C. Crosby. 1936.The Comparative Anatomy of the Nervous Systems of Vertebrates, Including Man. Vol. I. New York: Macmillan.
Kuffler, S. W. 1953. “Discharge Patterns and Functional Organization of Mammalian Retina.”J Neurophysiol.,16, 37–68.
Lashley, K. S. 1929.Brain Mechanisms and Intelligence. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
— and L. E. Wiley. 1933. “Studies of Cerebral Function in Learning. IX. Mass Action in Relation to the Number of Elements in the Problem to be Learned”.J. Comp. Neurol.,57, 3–55.
McCulloch, W. S. 1959. “Agathe Tyche of Nervous Nets-the Lucky Reckoners.”Mechanisation of Thought Process,2, 612–625. London: Her, Majesty's Stationery Office.
— and W. Pitts. 1943. “A Logical Calculus of the Ideas Immanent in Nervous Activity.”Bull. Math. Biophysics,5, 115–133.
McGeoch, J. A. and W. T. McDonald. 1931. “Meaningful Relation and Retroactive Inhibition.”Amer. J. Psychol.,43, 579–588.
Purpura, D. P. and R. J. Shofer. 1964. “Cortical Intracellular Potentials During Augmenting and Recruiting Responses. I. Effects of Injected Hyperpolarizing Currents on Evoked Membrane Potential Changes.”J. Neurophysiol.,27, 117–132.
Rall, W. 1964. “Theoretical Significance of Dendritic Threes for Neuronal Input-Output Relations.” InNeural Theory and Modeling, pp. 73–97. R. F. Reiss, Ed. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.
— 1967. “Distinguishing Theoretical Synaptic Potentials Computed for Different Soma-Dendritic Distributions of Synaptic Input.”J. Neurophysiol.,30, 1138–1168.
Rashevsky, N. 1938.Mathematical Biophysics. First edition. 1938. Third edition, New York: Dover, 1960.
Russell, W. R. 1959.Brain, Memory and Learning. New York: Oxford University Press.
Spencer, W. A. and E. R. Kandel. 1961. “Electrophysiology of Hippocampal Neurons. IV. Fast Prepotentials.”J. Neurophysiol.,24, 273–285.
Underwood, B. J. and D. Goad. 1951. “Studies of Distributed Practice: I. The Influence of Intra-List Similarity in Serial Learning,”J. Exp. Psychol.,42, 125–134.
Weiskrantz, L. 1966. “Experimental Studies of Amnesia.” In:Amnesia. C. W. M. Whitty and O. L. Zangwell, Eds. London: Butterworths.
Wickelgren, W. A. 1965a. “Acoustic Similarity and Retroactive Interference in Short-Term Memory.”J. Verb. Learn. Verb. Behav.,4, 53–61.
— 1965b. “Acoustic Similarity and Intrusion Errors in Short-Term Memory.”J. Exp. Psychol.,70, 102–108.
— 1965c. “Distinctive Features and Errors in Short-Term Memory for English Vowels.”J. Acoust. Soc. Amer.,38, 583–588.
— 1966. “Distinctive Features and Errors in Short-Term Memory for English Consonants.” —Ibid. 39, 388–398.
Wickelgren, W. A. 1969. “Context-Sensitive Coding, Associative Memory and Serial Order in (Speech) Behavior.”Psychol. Rev. (in press).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wickelgren, W.A. Learned specification of concept neurons. Bulletin of Mathematical Biophysics 31, 123–142 (1969). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02478213
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02478213