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Abstract:
(Poster Presentation)
In this paper, we discuss two fundamental aspects of cortical
information processing. The first aspect concerns the principles
of neural coding. We argue that unlike todays digital computer,
the elementary coding units in the brain should be a cluster of
bits connected via synaptic interaction (interaction-connected
bits) rather than a set of bits which may not be
interaction-connected. Specifically, it is not the mapping
between patterns of neural firings and some concepts or objects
but the internal relation between the neural activities that
characterise the neural code. In other words, the code should be
embedded in the dynamics of the system, rather than in an
abstract "lookup" table. In order to establish this point, we
review recent research directions in brain science, especially as
regards cortical information representation, with an emphasis on
the non-local character of the neural code. The second aspect
concerns more systematic features of cortical information
processing. Specifically, we argue that the neural mechanism
underlying "subjectivity" is an essential ingredient of
brain-like information processing. In order to establish the
second point, we review a psychophysical phenomenon called
"binocular rivalry", where non-correlated inputs from the two
eyes compete for emergence in our visual awareness. We present
some striking instances of this phenomenon, and argue that the
brain is able to streamline massively parallel representations of
visual information in the context of the consistency and
information-content of the visual scene. Finally, we argue that
these two aspects of cortical information processing are
connected through the non-local character of cortical information
processing. We suggest that in order to elucidate these aspects
of cortical information processing, we need to take seriously the
phenomenological aspects of our perception, such as qualia and
intentionality.
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