Rabinovich Mikhail, Bick Christian, Varona Pablo
BioCircuits Institute, University of California, San Diego, USA.
Department of Mathematics, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Cogn Neurodyn. 2024 Dec;18(6):3327-3335. doi: 10.1007/s11571-023-09987-3. Epub 2023 Jul 11.
From the dynamical point of view, most cognitive phenomena are hierarchical, transient and sequential. Such cognitive spatio-temporal processes can be represented by a set of sequential metastable dynamical states together with their associated transitions: The state is quasi-stationary close to one metastable state before a rapid transition to another state. Hence, we postulate that metastable states are the central players in cognitive information processing. Based on the analogy of quasiparticles as elementary units in physics, we introduce here the quantum of cognitive information dynamics, which we term "cognon". A cognon, or dynamical unit of thought, is represented by a robust finite chain of metastable neural states. Cognons can be organized at multiple hierarchical levels and coordinate complex cognitive information representations. Since a cognon is an abstract conceptualization, we link this abstraction to brain sequential dynamics that can be measured using common modalities and argue that cognons and brain rhythms form binding spatiotemporal complexes to keep simultaneous dynamical information which relate the 'what', 'where' and 'when'.
从动力学角度来看,大多数认知现象具有层级性、短暂性和序列性。这种认知时空过程可以由一组序列性亚稳态动力学状态及其相关转变来表示:在快速转变到另一个状态之前,状态在接近一个亚稳态时是准静态的。因此,我们假设亚稳态是认知信息处理的核心要素。基于准粒子作为物理学基本单元的类比,我们在此引入认知信息动力学的量子,我们称之为“认知子”。一个认知子,即思想的动力学单元,由一个稳健的有限亚稳态神经状态链表示。认知子可以在多个层级上组织起来,并协调复杂的认知信息表征。由于认知子是一种抽象概念,我们将这种抽象与可以通过常见方式测量的大脑序列动力学联系起来,并认为认知子和脑节律形成绑定的时空复合体,以保持与“什么”“哪里”和“何时”相关的同步动力学信息。