The construction of a simultaneous functional order in nervous systems. IV. The influence of physical constraints on the resulting functional order.
The signal activity in a neural net will be constrained both by its physical structure and by environmental constraints. By monitoring its signal activity a neural system can build up a simultaneous functional order that encodes these constraints. We have previously (Part I) presented two models that construct a simultaneous functional order in a collection of neural elements using either signal-covariances or signal-coincides. In this paper we present the results of simulation experiments that were performed to study the influence of the physical constraints of a neural system on the simultaneous functional order produced by both models. In the simulation experiments we used a one-dimensional detector array. We delineate the physical constraints such an array has to satisfy in order to induce a functional order relation that allows an isomorphism with a geometrical order. We show that for an appropriate choice of the system parameters both models can produce a simultaneous functional order with sufficient internal coherence to allow isomorphisms with a triangulation. In this case the dimensionality and the coherence of the detector array are objectively available to the system itself.
Toet
A
A
Department of Medical and Physiological Physics, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Blom
J
J
Koenderink
J J
JJ
D004777:Environment; D008954:Models, Biological; D009420:Nervous System / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D009424:Nervous System Physiological Phenomena; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology