Large-Scale Neuronal Theories of the Brain

Large-Scale Neuronal Theories of the Brainbrings together thirteen original contributions by some of the top scientists working in neuroscience today. It presents models and theories that will most likely shape and influence the way we think about the brain, the mind, and interactions between the two in the years to come. Chapters consider global theories of the brain from the bottom up-providing theories that are based on real nerve cells, their firing properties, and their anatomical connections. This contrasts with attempts that have been made by psychologists and by theorists in the artificial intelligence community to understand the brain strictly from a psychological or computational point of view. The authors encompass a broad background, from biophysics and electrophysiology to psychophysics, neurology, and computational vision. However, all the chapters focus on a common issue: the role of the primate (including human) cerebral cortex in memory, visual perception, focal attention, and awareness. Contributors: Horace Barlow; Patricia Churchland; V. S. Ramachandran and Terrence J. Sejnowski; Antonio R. Damasio and Hanna Damasio; Robert Desimone, Earl K. Miller, and Leonardo Chelazzi; Christof Koch and Francis Crick; Rodolfo, R. Llinas, and Urs Ribary; David Mumford; Tomaso Poggio and Anya Hurlbert; Michael I. Posner and Mary K. Rothbart; Wolf Singer; Charles F. Stevens; Shimon Ullman; David C. Van Essen, Charles W. Anderson, and Bruno A. Olshausen.