BioCircuits Institute, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States.
J Neurophysiol. 2023 Jul 1;130(1):61-68. doi: 10.1152/jn.00184.2023. Epub 2023 Jun 7.
One of the central paradigms of modern neuroscience is the connectionist concept suggesting that the brain's cognitive functions are carried out at the level of neural networks through complex interactions among neurons. This concept considers neurons as simple network elements whose function is limited to generating electrical potentials and transmitting signals to other neurons. Here, I focus on the neuroenergetic aspect of cognitive functions and argue that many findings from this field challenge the concept that cognitive functions are performed exclusively at the level of neural circuits. Two of these findings are particularly foretelling. First, activation of the cerebral cortex in humans (sensory stimulation or solving cognitive problems) is not associated with a significant increase in energy demand. Second, the energetic cost of the brain per unit mass in primates, including , is approximately proportional to the number of cerebral neurons but not to the number of synapses, the complexity of neural networks, or the level of brain's intellectual abilities. These findings contradict the predictions of the connectionist concept. Rather, they suggest that cognitive functions are generated by intraneuronal mechanisms that do not require much energy. In this context, interactions among neurons would serve to coordinate activities of neurons performing elementary cognitive functions. This function of the network mechanisms also does not require much energy.
现代神经科学的中心范式之一是连接主义概念，该概念表明大脑的认知功能是通过神经元之间的复杂相互作用在神经网络水平上进行的。这个概念将神经元视为简单的网络元素，其功能仅限于产生电潜能并将信号传递给其他神经元。在这里，我专注于认知功能的神经能量方面，并认为该领域的许多发现挑战了认知功能仅在神经回路水平上进行的概念。其中两个发现尤其具有预示性。首先，人类大脑皮层的激活（感觉刺激或解决认知问题）与能量需求的显著增加无关。其次，灵长类动物的大脑每单位质量的能量成本大约与大脑神经元的数量成正比，而与突触的数量、神经网络的复杂性或大脑智力水平无关。这些发现与连接主义概念的预测相矛盾。相反，它们表明认知功能是由不需要大量能量的神经元内机制产生的。在这种情况下，神经元之间的相互作用将有助于协调执行基本认知功能的神经元的活动。网络机制的这个功能也不需要太多能量。
