New Map IDs the Core of the Human Brain 186
gerald626 writes "An international team of researchers has created the first complete high-resolution map of how millions of neural fibers in the human cerebral cortex — the outer layer of the brain responsible for higher-level thinking — connect and communicate. Their groundbreaking work identified a single network core, or hub, that may be key to the workings of both hemispheres of the brain. So basically our brain is a network connected to a hub. I wonder if I can get an upgrade to a GigE switch?"
Not a switch. (Score:5, Interesting)
You would not want a switch. Isolating all but broadcast packets to just their destination would stifle creativity. It has to be a hub and bandwidth in a highly-interconnected net may be unimportant.
Al Gore's next project: Interbrain (Score:3, Interesting)
Now it's just a matter of figuring out the protocol used and hooking up a few brains together. Seriously
Protect individuals (Score:2, Interesting)
Not at ANY age, nor for ANY contract or job application.
Male VS female brain (Score:5, Interesting)
it supports a nice theory (Score:2, Interesting)
There is a theory of conciousness that can get some support from this hub thingy.
Basically, why are we conscious? Apart from the world becoming much more boring it should be some kind of biological advantage to evolve that way.
The theory states that consciousness is similar to a theater. With only one stage and one focus of light.
Attendants to the play are all the brain subsystems.
Actors are all the subconscious process wanting to become conscious (the current inputs of senses , memory, etc.). They compete for the focus of light.
When one of them get the focus, all the attendants can see him so it becomes and input for the other modules of the brain.
So, conscious process are slower and it takes much more resources, but allows to broadcast information to anyone. It can be modeler like a hub, isn't it?
I still keep it with... (Score:3, Interesting)
Key (Score:2, Interesting)
> Their groundbreaking work identified a single network core, or hub, that may
> be key to the workings of both hemispheres of the brain.
Important, yes. Key to the Big Picture, i.e. consciousness? Doubtful. Your brain is really two brains, each lobe capable of thought and consciousness without the other. People can and do have hemispherectomies, believe it or not, and still remain conscious.
I wonder if anyone like this ever understood AI and could describe the experience, though.