The Neuron and the Mind: Microneuronal Theory and Practice in Cognitive Neuroscience / Edition 1

by William R. Uttal

Overview

This book, a companion to William R. Uttal’s earlier work on macrotheories theories of mind-brain relationships, reviews another set of theories—those based on microneuronal measurements. Microneural theories maintain the integrity of individual neurons either in isolation or as participants in the great neuronal networks that make up the physical brain. Despite an almost universal acceptance by cognitive neuroscientists that the intangible mind must, in some way, be encoded by network states, Uttal shows that the problem of how the transformation occurs is not yet supported by empirical research findings at the micro as well as at the macro levels of analysis. Theories of the neuronal network survive more as metaphors than as robust explanations. This book also places special emphasis on the technological developments that stimulate these metaphors. A major conclusion drawn in this book is that it is not at all certain that the mind-brain problem is solvable in the sense that many other grand scientific problems are.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781138640191
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	07/18/2016
Pages:	220
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

William R. Uttal is Professor Emeritus (Engineering) at Arizona State University and Professor Emeritus (Psychology) at the University of Michigan. He was one of the pioneering researchers in computational modeling and is the author of numerous books and over 140 scholarly articles.

Table of Contents

Preface

Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 Single Neuron Technique and Theory

Chapter 3 Network Theories—Technique and Theory

Chapter 4 Intermediate Level Neuronal Networks—The Role

of Models

Chapter 5 Large Scale Computer Simulations (Theories) of Cognition

Chapter 6 Conclusions and Emerging Principles

Chapter 6 Summary

Indices

Bibliography