Why Neurons Have Thousands of Synapses, a Theory of Sequence Memory in Neocortex

• Published in: Frontiers in neural circuits Vol. 10; p. 23
• Main Authors: Hawkins, Jeff, Ahmad, Subutai
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Research Foundation 30.03.2016; Frontiers Media S.A
• Subjects: Action potential; Action Potentials; active dendrites; Animals; Computer Simulation; Cortex; Depolarization; Humans; Integration; Memory - physiology; Models, Neurological; Neocortex - cytology; Nerve Net - physiology; Neural networks; Neural Networks (Computer); Neurons; Neuroscience; NMDA spike; Pyramidal cells; Receptive field; Serial Learning - physiology; sparse distributed representations; Synapses - physiology; Theory; prediction; sequence memory; active dendrites; neocortical theory; neocortex

Pyramidal neurons represent the majority of excitatory neurons in the neocortex. Each pyramidal neuron receives input from thousands of excitatory synapses that are segregated onto dendritic branches. The dendrites themselves are segregated into apical, basal, and proximal integration zones, which h...