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Article 3877 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: geb@dsl.pitt.edu (gordon e. banks)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: Brain waves
Message-ID: <13493@pitt.UUCP>
Date: 19 Feb 92 20:41:01 GMT
References: <17872@castle.ed.ac.uk> <66025@netnews.upenn.edu> <3413@novavax.UUCP>
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Organization: Decision Systems Laboratory, Univ. of Pittsburgh, PA.
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In article <3413@novavax.UUCP> gowj@novavax.UUCP (James Gow) writes:
>Does a neural net produce something akin to a brain wave? My wife says
>that's how they determine brain activity in the hospital. After three
>succesive EEGs and the wave is flat the brain is declared dead. Does this
>pile of silicon produce a wave such that when it is operational it can be
>said to be functioning?
>
There are some fellows in New York City (can't recall if it is NYU or
Columbia or where) that are using a neural net to produce an artificial
EEG, including artificial epilepsy.  The EEG is the far field potential
(smeared out by passing through the skull) of large numbers of neurons.
The fact that various rhythms appear is very interesting and indicates
that there is some mechanism for coordinating huge numbers of neurons.
Perhaps Weemba's quantum mechanics are trying to work out something in
regard to that.  I don't think you will need quantum mechanics to explain
it ultimately, but right now there is not a good overall theory that
explains it.  I'm not sure how well the neural nets reproduce EEGs.
I think they have shown some promise.
-- 
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Gordon Banks  N3JXP      | "I have given you an argument; I am not obliged
geb@cadre.dsl.pitt.edu   |  to supply you with an understanding." -S.Johnson
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