Rodolfo R. Llinas's Books

I of the Vortex

From Neurons to Self

By: Rodolfo R. Llinas

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I of the Vortex

From Neurons to Self

By: Rodolfo R. Llinas

A highly original theory of how the mind-brain works, based on the author's study of single neuronal cells. In I of the Vortex, Rodolfo Llinas, a founding father of modern brain science, presents an original view of the evolution and nature of mind. According to Llinas, the "mindness state" evolved to allow predictive interactions between mobile creatures and their environment. He illustrates the early evolution of mind through a primitive animal called the "sea squirt." The mobile larval form has a brainlike ganglion that receives sensory information about the surrounding environment. As an adult, the sea squirt attaches itself to a stationary object and then digests most of its own brain. This suggests that the nervous system evolved to allow active movement in animals. To move through the environment safely, a creature must anticipate the outcome of each movement on the basis of incoming sensory data. Thus the capacity to predict is most likely the ultimate brain function. One could even say that Self is the centralization of prediction. At the heart of Llinas's theory is the concept of oscillation. Many neurons possess electrical activity, manifested as oscillating variations in the minute voltages across the cell membrane. On the crests of these oscillations occur larger electrical events that are the basis for neuron-to-neuron communication. Like cicadas chirping in unison, a group of neurons oscillating in phase can resonate with a distant group of neurons. This simultaneity of neuronal activity is the neurobiological root of cognition. Although the internal state that we call the mind is guided by the senses, it is also generated by the oscillations within the brain. Thus, in a certain sense, one could say that reality is not all "out there," but is a kind of virtual reality.

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Page Count

396

Publisher

MIT Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0262296969

ISBN 13

9780262296960

The Squid Giant Synapse

A Model for Chemical Transmission

By: Rodolfo Riascos Llinás

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The Squid Giant Synapse

A Model for Chemical Transmission

By: Rodolfo Riascos Llinás

The squid giant synapse is the single most important model for investigating the transmitter release mechanism in chemical junctions. This unique book, by a leading expert in the field, gives a concise overview of all that has been learned about synaptic transmission in this superb model system. It covers in detail the biophysics of the voltage-dependent calcium currents, calcium concentration microdomains, and much of the molecular basis for the triggering of the secretory event. Ideal for graduate and undergraduate courses, the book includes PC and Macintosh versions of two programs for simulating and manipulating any aspect of synaptic transmission. One program is a modeling tool designed for working neuroscientists, and the other teaches the basic principles of synaptic transmission by allowing students to alter the parameters, essentially without limits, and see the effects on the action potential over time. Anyone studying this central topic of neuroscience will find this book an invaluable resource.

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Page Count

234

Published Date

ISBN 10

0195116526

ISBN 13

9780195116526

I of the Vortex

From Neurons to Self

By: Rodolfo R. Llinas

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I of the Vortex

From Neurons to Self

By: Rodolfo R. Llinas

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N/A

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Age

Page Count

324

Publisher

MIT Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0262621630

ISBN 13

9780262621632

Book's by Rodolfo R. Llinas

I of the Vortex

I of the Vortex

The Squid Giant Synapse

The Squid Giant Synapse

I of the Vortex

I of the Vortex

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