In search of the conditions for the genesis of cell assemblies: A study in self-organization

Abstract

Brains and computers can both be described as information-processing systems. At the functional level they have a number of properties in common, but at the level of hardware they differ vastly. Relatively little is known of the relation between neural processes and the concepts of cognitive psychology, such as short- and longterm memory, semantic memory, learning, attention etc. There have been several attempts to build models for some aspects of this relation. It is now generally accepted that somehow the hypothesis of neural plasticity, due to Tanzi (1893) and worked out by Hebb (1949) , is the basic neural mechanism for learning. Another hypothesis by Hebb, on the formation of cell assemblies (1949) , has been largely neglected. There are good arguments to reconsider it. In this paper general considerations are presented on the structure and organization of memory, and the way it comes into existence. They are supported by a restricted simulation experiment that shows formation of cell assemblies. This experiment may be considered as extended replication of a simulation experiment by Rochester et al . (1956) . The general considerations are placed within the framework of general systems theory, and are relevant for other self-organizing processes as well, such as the formation of groups in populations, or ideas in a discipline of science.