Interesting remark, but I don't think it really works this way. It is not an infinite ensemble of an infinite number of analog events. A neuron fires or not - a boolean event - and spikes are certainly discrete events. The ion channels, the gradients of ions, and all the chemical substances are only the "hardware" of the brain. One could compare it to transistors, wires, etc. If the genes could produce transistors instead of proteins, they would perhaps use digital circuits. However, the interesting part seems to be the software, esp. the code which is used (if there is any). There are of course at least four different levels of modelling, from boolean networks and sigmoid networks to spiking networks, see Fig. 3 in http://www.vs.uni-kassel.de/~fromm/Articles/LI.pdf
-J. -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of doug Sent: Sunday, July 09, 2006 2:24 AM To: 'The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group' Subject: Re: [FRIAM] 100 billion neurons Comment: this implies a discrete ensemble of discrete events. But isn't each neuron's likelihood of firing dependent on the solution in which it sits, the gradients of ions, and proximities to tier multiple firing neurons? In which case the brain is an infinite ensemble of an infinity of analog events. doug ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
