neocortex in brief...

In many cases, scientists liken the structure of the neocortex to that of the typical hierarchy. This classification is the result of how the neocortex is hypothesized to receive, process and store information. In simplest forms, the cortex works as a highly efficient network, with nodes [columns] constantly relying on each other for their increased performance. Further investigation allows us to see that this network is a complicated assembly of dependencies, patterns and paths. Each hierarchial level in the cortex is responsible for a certain level of recognition and retention. When recognition is triggered, the information is passed up the hierarchial chain, one level at a time. As the information flows through the levels of the hierarchy, paths traveled most often are strengthened. These strengthened paths become the quickest and easiest to follow up the hierarchy. In some instances, the dominant paths happen to skip a level of the hierarchy. This bypass adds to the agility of the cortex. What must be remembered is that the flow of information is bidirectional. There is a constant exchange between the neocortex and, say, the motor receptors. An example would be the fact that we are able to grab a mug that we see, and have recognized, sitting on a table in front of us.


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BluePrinting the Human Brain
"Last year, EPFL bought a multimillion-dollar model of IBM's Blue Gene/L supercomputer for the two-year project, which is being conducted in Switzerland. The group only recently simulated the firing of 10,000 neurons in a single column in the neocortex, the largest area of the human brain governing high-level thinking and action. (A column typically contains 100,000 neurons.)"