title: A fuzzy theory of cortical computation: neuropoietic engrams, fuzzy hypercubes, and the nature of consciousness.
abstract: We apply fuzzy logic to a theory of memory representation and computation in the human cerebral cortex. The theory termed neuropoiesis is based on the hypothetical transfer of mRNA polyribosomes from the post-synaptic dendritic spine of cortical pyramidal neurons to the presynaptic boutons of connecting axons through a hypothetical process termed retroduction. The net effect of this process is a vast increase in predicted memory storage. The fuzzification of memory engrams permits this expansion in memory capacity and requires multiplex signaling which, in turn, requires the formation of a spike packet whose length is determined by the EEG frequencies generated by the thalamo-cortical rhythm generators. The role of the EEG frequencies is to provide a wavelet-like transform of the multiplex signal which in turn determines the degree of data compression that is required for memory recruitment at a given level of vigilance during cortical computation. In this conceptual model cortical computation is hypothesized to be a form of cluster analysis that can be represented by a fuzzy hypercube in which each dimension of the unit hypercube represents an apical dendrite of a layer 5 pyramidal cell in a cortical fascicle. The tuftal area of the apical dendrite in cortical layer one corresponds to the MIN or zero point of the hypercube's dimension and the cell body in layer 5 corresponds to the MAX or one point of that dimension in the unit hypercube. The neuroanatomical location of synapses on the apical dendrites in the fascicle is mapped onto the fuzzy hypercube. These synapses form clusters composed of both bottom-up and top-down signals represented as metasynaptic fuzzy sets-as-points in the hypercube. Soft winner-take-all gating by inhibitory neurons is proposed to supply the only non-linear operation needed for cortical computation. Feed-forward inhibition is envisioned to play the decisive role of spicing or de-fuzzifying the output signal. Proper transmission of the multiplex signal that carries the fuzzy engram requires synchrony of neuronal firing. For this fuzzy cortical model, synchrony of firing, multiplex signaling, winner-take-all gating, and the known spectrum of EEG frequencies are all derivable from the fundamental mechanism termed synaptopoiesis as described in the theory of neuropoiesis. Finally, this theory predicts that the neural correlate of consciousness must include inhibitory subcortical connections and that its function is largely that of limiting coherence to a narrow range of cortical engrams.
authors.affiliation: Neurobehavior Program, Department of Psychiatry (MC913) College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612-7327, USA.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lopez
authors.forename: Thomas H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Jobe
authors.forename: Cathy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Helgason
mesh_terms: D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D017143:Fuzzy Logic; D006801:Humans; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D011132:Polyribosomes / Q000378:metabolism; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology*