Scientific Understanding of Consciousness
Consciousness as an Emergent Property of Thalamocortical Activity

Perception and Memory

 

According to spreading activation theory,    semantic memory is organized on the basis of semantic relatedness or semantic distance. Spreading activation    spreads most strongly    to other concepts    that are closely related semantically,    and more weekly    to those that are more distant semantically. The spreading activation model    has generally proved more successful    than the hierarchical network model. (Baddeley, et.al.; Memory, 120)

 

Associative Nature of Memory

 

Neural pattern activations (Memory Trace Pattern, Engram) via the most efficacious synapses.

 

Neural activity patterns are ignited by fragmentary cues.

 

Extensive dendritic trees of projection neurons.

 

Interneurons connecting projection neurons dendritic trees provide tuning for sensory and top-down afferents.

 

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