Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id FAA13435 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Wed, 20 Feb 2002 05:27:54 GMT Message-ID: <002f01c1b9ce$c0eddc60$2d86b2d1@teddace> From: "Dace" <edace@earthlink.net> To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> References: <B8986660.15D%srdrew_1@hotmail.com> Subject: Re: ality Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2002 21:23:37 -0800 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4133.2400 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4133.2400 Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Hi Steve:
> I'm probably going to regret asking this, because i may not understand the
> answer! Only one way to find out.
>
> If i understand this memory recording thing, it is essentially down to
> chemical storage patterns in the brain, and their arrangement that forms
the
> basis of memory, and that as these patterns degrade or are damaged our
> recall becomes worse.
This approach is outdated. Take a look at *The Invention of Memory: A New
View of the Brain* by Israel Rosenfield, Basic Books, 1988.
Rosenfield contrasts the brain with a computer, in which data remains dead
and (except for an external accident) unchanging until someone reads it.
But brains are fundamentally dynamic. Neurons don't sit still. Neural
"memory" would have to be continuously recreated in the human brain, thus
compromising the accuracy of our recollections. This model is sometimes
called "neural darwinism," the idea being that millions of impulses inflow
on each neuron, and only some get selected and passed on to other neurons.
It's the kind of speculation that characterizes memory research.
Everything's pretty much up in the air, though the researchers themselves
carry on like all the basics are worked out, and it's just a matter of
filling in the gaps now.
Ted
===============================================================
This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Feb 20 2002 - 05:37:44 GMT