Brown SR. Emergence in the central nervous system.
Cogn Neurodyn 2012;
7:173-95. [PMID:
24427200 DOI:
10.1007/s11571-012-9229-6]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2012] [Revised: 10/04/2012] [Accepted: 11/20/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
"Emergence" is an idea that has received much attention in consciousness literature, but it is difficult to find characterizations of that concept which are both specific and useful. I will precisely define and characterize a type of epistemic ("weak") emergence and show that it is a property of some neural circuits throughout the CNS, on micro-, meso- and macroscopic levels. I will argue that possession of this property can result in profoundly altered neural dynamics on multiple levels in cortex and other systems. I will first describe emergent neural entities (ENEs) abstractly. I will then show how ENEs function specifically and concretely, and demonstrate some implications of this type of emergence for the CNS.
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