X-Message-Number: 3805 From: (Anders Sandberg) Newsgroups: sci.cryonics Subject: Re: brain as net Date: 06 Feb 1995 11:12:35 GMT Message-ID: <> References: <3gsurq$> Thomas Donaldson wrote: >One fact about our nervous systems which may be growing more and more clear >is that the number of our synapses increases when we learn. There is another >article suggesting this in the latest PERIASTRON. This may be true. In fact, it is thought among neuroscientists that synapses can both grow and change properties in response to learning. It is a very vital area in neuroscience right now. >In terms of simulating or emulating a brain on a computer, this would cause >a problem. Our computer-brain would need to have some way to increase the >number of its connections. This sounds reasonable. However, I don't see the problem. The neural simulator has to deal with the ways these synapses grow and change properties, something we don't know how to do yet, but doesn't appear to be impossible. Then the model in the computer is changed accordingly. >The ability to grow new >connections is clearly something hard to simulate with one of our present >computers. Not at all. Its not done in most neural network simulations because it complicates things and is not very understood, but it is in principle easy to add. A simulator could for example be programmed to add a new node with synapses if certain conditions are met on "neighboring" nodes. Its important to remember that we are doing everything in software. -- Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=3805