I certainly wouldn't argue with neuroscientists and network experts here, but as a clinician dealing with products of brain function, that is, thinking, problem solving, sensory phenomena, etc., what happens in brains has long been a subject of intense interest and study.
I have the idea what gets lost in the various hypothetical models of neuron/brain mechanisms is the sheer magnitude of neuronal circuit complexity. Not only are there a vast number of "nodes" in human brain circuits, something like 100 trillion synapses, but that each node/synapse is itself enormously complex.
It's hard to quantify the number and variety of receptors "owned" by each neuron, but consider that while neurons work by communicating with certain "partner" neurons, they also are connected by very complex channels to all parts of the body. Furthermore neuron signal transmission involves the cascade of intracellular "downstream" effects mediated by intricate genomic events.
We know something about some of these channels, others not so much. "I/O" occurs through nerves, hormones and immune system signalling. In isolation each of these systems is highly complex, but considering the nature and meaning of interactions among these systems is overwhelming.
Given the immense scale of complexity it's unsurprising that we have only a primitive understanding of how neuronal systems work. I don't anticipate science will "figure it out" in my lifetime.
OTOH no doubt science will continue to discover intriguing clues in the coming decades, and that will be valuable. But I think it's important to appreciate just how vast the "problem space" is when it comes to grasping how brains actually work.
I have the idea what gets lost in the various hypothetical models of neuron/brain mechanisms is the sheer magnitude of neuronal circuit complexity. Not only are there a vast number of "nodes" in human brain circuits, something like 100 trillion synapses, but that each node/synapse is itself enormously complex.
It's hard to quantify the number and variety of receptors "owned" by each neuron, but consider that while neurons work by communicating with certain "partner" neurons, they also are connected by very complex channels to all parts of the body. Furthermore neuron signal transmission involves the cascade of intracellular "downstream" effects mediated by intricate genomic events.
We know something about some of these channels, others not so much. "I/O" occurs through nerves, hormones and immune system signalling. In isolation each of these systems is highly complex, but considering the nature and meaning of interactions among these systems is overwhelming.
Given the immense scale of complexity it's unsurprising that we have only a primitive understanding of how neuronal systems work. I don't anticipate science will "figure it out" in my lifetime.
OTOH no doubt science will continue to discover intriguing clues in the coming decades, and that will be valuable. But I think it's important to appreciate just how vast the "problem space" is when it comes to grasping how brains actually work.