Koribian Brodmann, “Localization in the Cerebral Cortex”, 1909 was the topic of an earlier blog post.
This book consists of five (5) sections of fifteen (15) chapters, plus an epilogue.
The sections and chapters are:
Part One. “Does Size Matter”.
Chapter 1. “Genius and Madness”.
Chapter 2. “Border Disputes”
Part Two. “Connectionism”.
Chapter 3. “No Neuron is an Island”.
Chapter 4. “Neurons All the Way Down”.
Chapter 5. “The Assembly of Memories”.
Part Three. “Nature and Nurture”.
Chapter 6. “The Forestry of the Genes”.
Chapter 7. “Renewing Our Potential”.
Part Four. “Connectomics”.
Chapter 8. “Seeing is Believing”.
Chapter 9. “Following the Trail”.
Chapter 10. “Carving”.
Chapter 11. “Codebreaking”.
Chapter 12. “Comparing”.
Chapter 13. “Changing”.
Part Five. “Beyond Humanity”.
Chapter 14. “To Freeze or to Pickle”.
Chapter 15. “Save As”.
Epilogue.
Here I presented: Sebastian Seung, “Connectome: How the Brain’s Wiring Makes Us Who We Are”, 2012.
SUMMARY.
This book has as its best part: Part Four. “Connectomics”. Chapter 11. “Codebreaking”. The reason this is the best part of the book is “bird communication” the topic.
Figure #45. “Song-producing regions of the bird’s brain”. on page #191 is shown BELOW.
The featured image at the top of the blog is also “song-producing regions of the bird’s brain”.
A more detailed diagram of “song-producing regions of the bird’s brain” is shown BELOW.
The diagrams consist of a neural pathway of four (4) essential parts:
1. HVC
2. RA
3. nXIIts
4. syrinx
Sebastian Seung explains birdsong for the lay reader. The “HVC” is equivalent to a compact disc player. The “syrinx” is loadspeaker of the sound system. The “RA” and “nXIIts” is an amplifier consisting of two stages.
The comparison of Human and Bird vocalizing is based on anatomical differences. Humans have “vocal chords” in their Larynx. Their are no “vocal chords” in the Larynx of Birds. Instead, of “vocal chords” birdsong is produced in the Syrinx of birds (shown BELOW).
